VATICAN INSIDER. ST. CABRINI, MOTHER TO MIGRANTS, COMES TO ROME – A PAPAL INVITATION TO THE CIRCUS FOR POOR AND MARGINALIZED

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the 31^st World Day of the Sick. Instituted by St. John Paul on May 13, 1992 as a way for believers to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses, this world day is marked on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The theme this year is “Take care of him” from the Gospel according to St. Luke.

If you know someone who is ill or somehow suffering, February 11 is the perfect day to let them know you care and are praying for them. You might want to send an ecard, perhaps an email, maybe even make a phone call, something to raise their spirits and make them smile!

VATICAN INSIDER. ST. CABRINI, MOTHER TO MIGRANTS, COMES TO ROME

My guests this weekend in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider” are Fr. Ramil Fajardo, rector of the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago, sculptor Lou Cella and Carol Christiansen, a St. Cabrini fan, follower and enthusiast and the inspiration for this week’s story.

The four of us are united by our faith, by the fact we are all Chicagoans and by our common love for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, better known to millions as Mother Cabrini. You’ll hear a bit about Mother Cabrini’s life in this four-way conversation but more importantly what brings a small delegation from Chicago to Rome for a week. Don’t miss this!

Fr. Ramil (L), Lou Cella (in camel jacket) and Carol (holding the miniature of Mother Cabrini) in the cathedral courtyard

The Mother Cabrini in miniature –

The original, just over life-size statue of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is in the main courtyard of Holy Name cathedral in Chicago!

Lou Cella’s work studio

(CORRECTION ON PHOTO ID: The woman in the picture on the ladder is Jessica LoPresti, the artist who worked with Lou on the project. Not only was she dedicated to this project, she was the model/muse for the statue!)

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And here is why the delegation came to Rome! They presented a copy in miniature of a statue of Mother Cabrini to Pope Francis at the end of a weekly general audience. I saw but do not have the Vatican photo showing a close-up of the Pope with the statue.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Mother Cabrini, in all her bronze, life-size glory, could come to Rome to celebrate the 2025 Holy Year, to welcome visitors and migrants as she did during her life!  Maybe we could persuade her to stay and continue to welcome visitors and migrants!

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

A PAPAL INVITATION TO THE CIRCUS FOR POOR AND MARGINALIZED

According to a press release from the Dicastery of Charity, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Apostolic Almoner and head of the charity office, has, in the name of the Holy Father, invited 2000 people to the Rony Roller circus tomorrow, Saturday, February 11. Among those invited are refugees, the homeless, prisoners, and families with children from Ukraine, Syria, Congo and Sudan. There will also be some families who live in occupied buildings in Rome and more than 150 people from the streets of Torvaianica and various dormitories, accompanied by volunteers, including the Sisters of Mother Teresa.

The circus, says the communique, quoting Pope Francis in a meeting with artists and entertainers, “puts us in touch with the beauty that always lifts us up and makes us go further, it is a way to reach the Lord. … Making it possible for people to attend the circus is one way to give a few hours of serenity to those who face a hard life and need help to fuel hope. The show also reminds us that behind this art and this beauty there are hours and hours of training and sacrifice in order to reach the finish line: the Circus artists are the confirmation that persevering can make the impossible possible.”

TODAY’S SAINT: ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI

In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Canonization of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini on 7 July 1946, the First American Citizen Saint, this special Jubilee Year will begin on Saturday November 13, 2021 and conclude on Sunday November 13, 2022. Click here to visit the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago for information on today’s opening Mass for the Jubilee and other information about the Jubilee Year: Jubilee | The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (cabrininationalshrine.org)

TODAY’S SAINT: ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI

(franciscanmedia.org) – Frances Xavier Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized. Her deep trust in the loving care of her God gave her the strength to be a valiant woman doing the work of Christ.

Refused admission to the religious order that had educated her to be a teacher, she began charitable work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno, Italy. In September 1877, she made her vows there and took the religious habit.

When the bishop closed the orphanage in 1880, he named Frances prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Seven young women from the orphanage joined her.

Since her early childhood in Italy, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there.

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did.

In 35 years, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith, she organized schools and adult education classes.

As a child, she was always frightened of water, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet, despite this fear, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. She died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago.

Reflection

The compassion and dedication of Mother Cabrini is still seen in hundreds of thousands of her fellow citizens who care for the sick in hospitals, nursing homes, and state institutions. We complain of increased medical costs in an affluent society, but the daily news shows us millions who have little or no medical care, and who are calling for new Mother Cabrinis to become citizen-servants of their land.

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini is a Patron Saint of:

Hospital Administrators
Immigrants
Impossible Causes

VATICAN INSIDER: A SAINTLY JUBILEE IN CHICAGO – POPE FRANCIS WELCOMES PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA – HOLY FATHER MARKS 50 YEARS OF VATICAN NEWSPAPER IN GERMAN

VATICAN INSIDER: A SAINTLY JUBILEE IN CHICAGO

Join me this weekend on Vatican Insider for Part II of my conversation with my guest of honor, Fr. Ramil Fajardo, rector of the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini National Shrine in Chicago. Having talked last week about the life, times, and work of Mother Cabrini, America’s First Citizen Saint, and the migrants whom she helped, and about today’s migrants and refugees, Fr. Ramil, joined by Fr. Ryan Brady, looks at how Chicago will celebrate a Cabrini Jubilee Year! When will it start? What are some of the plans? Tune in this weekend to Vatican Insider!

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini died Dec. 22, 1917, after spending much of her life working with Italian immigrants in the United States.

Canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII, this year marks the 75^th anniversary of her sainthood.

Fathers Ramil and Ryan joined me for dinner after our interview in the brief time I spent in Chicago during my recent, very wonderful, U.S. vacation.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are serarching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

POPE FRANCIS WELCOMES PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA

Pope Francis on Friday received in audience Prime Minister Robert Abela of Malta who later met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher. (Vatican photo)

A communique by the Holy See Press Office said, “During the cordial discussions in the Secretariat of State, the good bilateral relations and fruitful collaboration between the Church and the State were underlined. The parties focused on the contribution of Christianity to the history, culture and life of the Maltese people, and on the Church’s commitment to the human and social development of the country, especially in the fields of education and welfare.

“Issues of common interest were then discussed, such as migration, to which the Church and the Government are strongly committed, and some ethical issues. Attention then turned to the European and international situation, with particular attention to the Mediterranean region, as well as the importance of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in building peace and brotherhood among peoples.”

A Vatican media report noted that the population of the tiny island nation is estimated at 516,000 people, over 90 per cent of whom are Catholics.  They are spread across the country’s two dioceses – the Archdiocese of Malta and the Diocese of Gozo.

HOLY FATHER MARKS 50 YEARS OF VATICAN NEWSPAPER IN GERMAN

The German weekly edition of the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano was started in 1971 with the blessing of Pope Paul VI.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Pope Francis has felicitated the weekly German-language edition of the Holy See’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano (Italian for The Roman Observer), for its 5 decades of service in “edifying” its readers with an inside look into the Church of Rome and the world.

“With affection, I have taken note of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the weekly edition of L’Osservatore Romano which is being celebrated in these days. I gladly accompany the collaborators, as well as the German-speaking readers, with my prayers.” the Pope wrote in a brief letter to the newspaper.

Edifying readers
“For half a century,” he noted, “the newspaper has been edifying its customers week by week with a look inside the events of the Church of Rome and that of the world; it reports on the Word of the Successor of Peter and provides a rich variety of cultural contributions.” All this, Pope Francis said, makes it possible for the faithful of local Churches to know the Universal Church better.  He concluded imparting his apostolic blessing on all those contributing to “this service of mediation” and to all its readers.

An initiative of Paul VI
The German edition was started in 1971, under the initiative of Saint Pope Paul VI.  “With joy We welcome the new weekly edition of the L’Osservatore Romano in German and accompany its appearance with Our good wishes,” the Pope wrote in a letter dated October 1, 1971. “May it contribute to fostering the spirit of fraternal communion among the People of God.”  He imparted his blessing on “those who meritoriously contributed to the realization of this initiative”, as well as to all the collaborators and readers of the newspaper.

The German edition
The German edition consists of two instalments or segments. The first provides information and news of the Holy See, the Universal Church, and the local Churches, as well as cultural sections and in-depth doctrinal and historical reflections.  The second one is devoted to the activities of the Pontiff, including the translation of his discourses and interventions.  Since 1986 it has been printed in Germany by the publishing house Schwabenverlag that also is responsible for its distribution and subscriptions. It is also available in digital form.

Other language editions
The original edition of L’Osservatore Romano is the Italian daily, which was started 160 years ago in 1861. The daily is published 6 days a week (except for Monday). The weekly editions are available in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and also Italian.  A Polish edition is published monthly.  There is also a weekly edition printed in the Malayalam language in India, and a biweekly edition in Hungarian printed in Hungary.

VATICAN INSIDER: A SAINTLY JUBILEE IN CHICAGO – EWTN ROME: FIRST FRIDAY MASS IN HISTORIC CHURCH – OCTOBER 1: SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX

VATICAN INSIDER: A SAINTLY JUBILEE IN CHICAGO

Join me this weekend on Vatican Insider for my conversation with my guest of honor, Fr. Ramil Fajardo, rector of the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini National Shrine in Chicago. In Part I of our conversation, we talk about the upcoming Mother Cabrini Jubilee Year and focus on the life of Mother Cabrini, America’s first citizen Saint, and the migrants, especially Italian, whom she helped for so many years. As we also talk about today’s migrants and refugees, Fr. Ramil is joined by Fr. Ryan Brady. Next week we will look at how Chicago will celebrate this Cabrini Jubilee!

Fathers Ramil (L) and Ryan joined me for dinner after our interview in the brief time I spent in Chicago during my recent, very wonderful, U.S. vacation.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are serarching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

EWTN ROME: FIRST FRIDAY MASS IN HISTORIC CHURCH

To mark today’s feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and first Friday of the month, staff from the EWTN Rome office, including new Rome bureau chief Andreas Thonhauser, attended Mass this morning in the celebrated and ancient Roman church of San Lorenzo in piscibus in the San Lorenzo International Youth Center, just yards from St. Peter’s Square.

It is a small but very wonderful church, almost a chapel, that just begs you to pray when you are inside. It is totally conducive to prayer. As Mass was celebrated by Fr. Johannes Lechner, I could only think of the earliest Christian gatherings when there were no formal churches but rather the faithful met in the homes of prominent Christians.

I took this photo as I crossed St. Peter’s square on my way to Mass:

Inside San Lorenzo:

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The Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus (English: Saint Lawrence at the Fish Market) is a 12th-century small church in Rome’s Borgo rione (neighborhood).

The church is dedicated to St, Lawrence, the Roman deacon martyr. The first document to reference it dates to 1143, at which time it was referred to as S. Laurentius in porticu maiore (“Saint Lawrence near the great portico”), referring to its vicinity to the great Portico that in the Middle Ages connected Pons Aelius with the old St. Peter’s Basilica, stretching along the Borgo. The title in piscibus, which first appeared in a 1205 bull of Pope Innocent III, translates literally to “near the fishes.” The name refers either to a fish market that was operated nearby, or the Roman de Piscibus family.

In the Middle Ages the governance of the church was transferred to the canons of the Vatican Basilica, as attested in bulls of Innocent III (October 15, 1205) and Pope Gregory IX (June 22, 1228).

The church housed Poor Clares for some time, before Leo X moved them elsewhere. He replaced them with a lay community from the nearby Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia.

San Lorenzo was held by the Piarist fathers into the early 20th century. It underwent major changes when the central part of the Borgo neighborhood, the Spina di Borgo, was demolished in order to construct the modern Via della Concciliazione, a work that went from 1936 to 1950.
 
The church was sold by the Italian government to the Holy See in 1941. It was, however, consequently deconsecrated, having been declared redundant. It was afterward converted into a study hall for the Scuola Pontificia Pio IX, and later used as a studio for the sculptor Pericle Fazzini, who used it while working on his massive “Resurrection” piece for the Paul VI Audience Hall between 1970 and 1977.

Pope John Paul II saw the old church – by then more or less forgotten, being hidden by the modern propylea around Piazza Pio XII – as a potential site for a youth ministry center at the Vatican. He reconsecrated it with a special youth Mass in March 1983, expressing the desire that the church become “a hothouse of faith-filled evangelization.” It continues to house the Centro San Lorenzo, which is overseen by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. In November 2007, it was designated a titular deanery by Pope Benedict XVI and given to Cardinal Paul Cordes.   (source: in part from Wikipedia)

To visit San Lorenzo website: San Lorenzo International Centre (laity.va)

OCTOBER 1: SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX

(franciscanmedia.org) “I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.”

These are the words of Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun called the “Little Flower,” who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24.

Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering a redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent “to save souls and pray for priests.” And shortly before she died, she wrote: “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”

Thérèse was canonized in 1925. On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.

Her parents, Louis and Zelie, were beatified in 2008 and canonized in 2015.

REFLECTION

Thérèse has much to teach our age of the image, the appearance, the “self.” We have become a dangerously self-conscious people, painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet knowing we are not. Thérèse, like so many saints, sought to serve others, to do something outside herself, to forget herself in quiet acts of love. She is one of the great examples of the gospel paradox that we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed that falls to the ground must die in order to live.

Preoccupation with self separates modern men and women from God, from their fellow human beings, and ultimately from themselves. We must re-learn to forget ourselves, to contemplate a God who draws us out of ourselves, and to serve others as the ultimate expression of selfhood. These are the insights of Saint Thérèse, and they are more valid today than ever.

SAINT THÉRÈSE IS THE PATRON SAINT OF:

Florists
Missionaries
Pilots
Priests