In June the Sisters organized a pilgrimage to The Cabrini Shrine for the Jubilee Year so that the Residents would have the opportunity to gain the Jubilee indulgence.
The shrine of St. Frances Cabrini the patron of Immigrants is located in Northern Manhattan. Mother Cabrini purchased the property herself and opened a high-school for upper-class girls with the intention of using the tuition to fund orphanages and free schools for the poor. The buildings were also used as a novitiate for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the order she founded. The enormous flow of visitors convinced them to build a shrine there. Eventually Mother Cabrini’s body (waxed housing 80% of her bones) was placed in a glass coffin inserted in the front of the altar.
The Residents had Mass at Noon and a very informative tour on the life of Mother Cabrini. A few days before we showed the Residents the latest movie made on the life of Mother Cabrini so they were able to fully enjoy the explanations, the displays of her foundations, and the many artifacts of the Congregation. The shrine was kind enough to offer a lovely room for us to feed the Residents the picnic lunch we brought with us. There were so many Residents who wanted to go that we needed to take our bus and two cars! It was a very enjoyable day.
