St. Francesca Cabrini
St. Francesca Cabrini
Supreme New Yorker 1850–1917
Patronage Italians, Immigrants, Entrepreneurs, Nerve & Courage
Feast Day November 13
Mother Cabrini, despite having a weakened condition, dreamt of spreading the faith from East to West. She persisted until the pope agreed to let her become a missionary, but, to her dismay, was ordered to start in New York. Mother Cabrini accepted the slight change, and, through grit and defiance, she cared for the Italian immigrants of New York. She led her mission through adversity ‘til death.
Small Snippet
Mother Cabrini, intercede to the Holy Ghost that I may have the courage to pursue that which I’m most afraid of. While driving, Mother Cabrini, please help me park my machiney.
Prayer
Artistic Process
Original Photo c. 22 December 1917
Found on the Public Domain.
Oak symbolizes the grit and bravery needed to bring her mission to the United States.
The license plate shows she was a New Yorker, and this design references the plates from the 1920’s. It also refers to the prayer “Mother Cabrini, please help me park my machiney.”
Oak & NY Plate
I took these photos in Colorado, which has a shrine and special devotion to Mother Cabrini. They renamed the “Columbus Day” holiday “Cabrini Day” to acknowledge and celebrate Italian American heritage.
Crocus
Symbolizes ingenuity and cleverness, which Mother Cabrini had in convincing the Pope, the NY Bishop, and the mayor of New York city to work with her, as well as the scrappiness it took to found her first hospital and the more to come beyond the first.
Clematis
Symbolizes dignity. The dignity Mother Cabrini treated every impoverished soul that crossed her path on the streets of New York city, particularly where the Italian immigrants lived.
Magnolia
