Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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Cabrini-on-Hudson serving immigrants in the Hudson Valley, NY

At the recent Provincial Assembly of the Missionary Sisters one session focused on the way in which Cabrinian ministries are addressing the pressing issues of immigration, migration, refugees, asylum seekers and human trafficking.

This week, we continue our series of in-depth looks at individual Cabrinian ministries and o explore how they are responding to the needs of those who are experiencing upheaval in their lives due to war, poverty, violence or captivity.

Cabrini-on Hudson Community

This week we learn more about the Cabrini-on-Hudson Community, which is a house of formation and discernment in West Park, NY. It is located in an area where from the 1970s, the Hispanic population has been steadily increasing. The Hispanic people live amongMother Cabrini website image 72 previously existing immigrant groups from Europe. Like other groups, these immigrants, Hispanic or Latino, have emigrated from their countries searching for work and a better life for themselves and their families. Many of them are undocumented. Their main occupations are farm workers (apple and corn pickers), restaurant workers, construction workers, housekeepers, etc. Those with better education, documentation, and bilingual skills work in department stores and other industries that provide better chances for benefits and higher salaries.

Since the MSC formation community opened in West Park in August 2013, the MSCs have had the opportunity to journey and accompany some of the Hispanic groups from various parishes in Ulster and Dutchess Counties. Some of the ways the MSCs have served the immigrant community are as pastoral ministers in Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY; providing catechesis for adults and children and providing catechist-training in Kingston, NY.

The MSCs have also made pastoral home visits to families in distress; helping undocumented families with paperwork for immigration; and facilitating the Spiritual Exercises in daily life with Hispanic women.

Responding to the call for The Year of Consecrated Life, earlier this year, the Missionary Sisters held an “Open House” to share the Cabrinian charism and way of religious life with people from area parishes. There was a great response from the Hispanic Community. The MSCs also provided living space for unaccompanied minors from Central America and Mexico for a period of time.

The MSCs entered into the traditions of the Hispanic immigrant communities such as All Souls Day, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which entails going from house to house for 50 days evangelizing using the story of the apparitions of Mary. The MSCs will look for more ways to help their immigrant brothers and sisters in their struggles and hopes.

The Practice of Mindfulness at Cabrini of Westchester

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Fr. Edwin Robinson, O.F.M., Director of Pastoral Care at Cabrini of Westchester, is leading a group of Cabrini staff in the Practice of Mindfulness as part of a series in services to promote the health and wellbeing of Cabrini staff. In a very busy and often distracted world, the practice of mindfulness allows the group to enter into the present moment, and experience its calm and peace. In 1998, Fr. Edwin attended an eight-day retreat led by the Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He has been practicing Mindfulness Meditation since that time.

The words of Psalm 104:10a, “Be still, and experience the ‘I am’ of my divine presence,” sum up the “how” of the practice. The group is meeting for a series of six – thirty minutes sessions. Fr. Edwin invites the participants to sit in such a way that they are aware of the dynamics of the present moment, in themselves individually and as a group. In the creation stories of Genesis, the authors have God declare, “It is not good for the human person to be alone.” (Gen. 2:1). Modern psychology also asserts that we humans are essentially social beings. For this reason group practice of mindfulness is the best way to learn the practice for it accelerates its benefits. However, mindfulness is also practiced individually. The road taken by Fr. Edwin from the 1998 retreat to years of individual and group practice is a good example of why the group setting is a good place to learn the practice.

In the beginning, those who practice mindfulness find that it is not as easy as it sounds. However, almost immediately the beneficial aspects of the practice can be felt, even if only for brief moments. These benefits are the reason why those who begin the practice and persevere make it an integral part of their daily lives.

So far, the staff who have participated in the series attest to its benefits. Fr. Edwin emphasizes that the members of the group need to be gentle with themselves and everyone in the group. He also highlights the reality that each person is essentially defined by his or her humanity. Hence, titles and functions fade away as the members of the group enter into the present moment and experience the wonder of who they are as human beings.

Cabrini College to Welcome Woodrow Wilson Fellow

All are invited to a campus-wide presentation featuring Robert “Gus” Gusentine, visiting Woodrow Wilson Fellow

Water: Understanding the Challenge

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m. 
Cabrini College, Mansion

During a weeklong residency, retired U.S. Navy captain and co-founder and chief operating officer for Global Sounding Inc. Robert “Gus” Gusentine will meet with Cabrini students, faculty, staff, and community partners to discuss sustainable access to water.

All are welcome to the free, campuswide presentation.

Gusentine’s residency is part of the Woodrow Wilson Fellows program which brings prominent leaders and nonacademic professionals to campuses across the U.S. for substantive dialogue with students and faculty members.

About Robert “Gus” GusentineGus Gusentine

Robert Gusentine is co-founder and chief operating officer for Global Sounding Inc., a private enterprise designed to assess and monitor the global fresh water supply to provide accurate information to governments, businesses, and the global community.

Gusentine serves on the Board of Directors for Elsie’s Hope, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation devoted to improving the living conditions of people around the world by providing sustainable access to clean water.

 

The Elsie’s Hope mission is to increase the number of water filtration systems in the field, support traditional social structures, and provide volunteers an opportunity to serve and support developing populations through boots-on-the-ground efforts.

 

Gusentine has 28 years of experience leading collaborative, high-performance teams of U.S. special operations forces in dynamic and challenging circumstances worldwide.

 

Serving in more than 30 countries, he has interfaced with senior foreign officials, U.S. and foreign ambassadors, and the U.S. inter-agency in countries key to U.S. national interests.

Cabrini of Westchester, NY celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart

On Friday, June 12, 2015, the Administration and staff Cabrini of Westchester celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart with a beautiful Mass in the Chapel.  Several Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as four Cabrini Lay Missionaries donned red corsages and renewed their vows and commitments to Jesus and the work of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. A celebratory luncheon followed in the Board Room.

Advocacy Day – Anti Human Trafficking

The Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition joined with advocates from all over Pennsylvania at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 9th, to visit legislators to discuss Senator Greenleaf and Senator Leach’s upcoming Safe Harbor Bill to protect minors who have been trafficked.

Trafficking 6What does Safe Harbor do?

S.B. 851 would require law enforcement to report to the Department of Human Services any encounter with a minor who has been subject to sexual exploitation.  The Department will develop and implement a state-wide protocol to deliver safe long-term housing, education, life-skills training, and counseling to the children who have been exploited.  The bill would require that police be trained to identify and assist sexually exploited children.  Most importantly, the bill would require that sexually exploited children be diverted from the criminal justice system to more appropriate human services.

Senator Daylin Leach (shown at podium) said, “There is no such thing as a child prostitute. There are only victims and survivors of child rape. S.B. 851 would establish a non-punitive response for juvenile sex-trafficking victims, and provide them with support to address their trauma and specialized services, which would be partially funded through enhanced penalties for traffickers, facilitators, and patrons of prostitution wherein the victim was a minor. Juveniles involved in sex-trafficking are already considered crime victims under international and federal law. Pennsylvania must advance anti-human trafficking reforms such as this legislation to protect these innocent children.”

Sharing an experience of Guatemala

It was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. When so many people were beginning the unofficial start of summer, many of our adult tutors and friends attended an evChristine Marie 2 and Lorraine Campanelli crening presentation on Guatemala. Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, MSC, from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA, presented her experience while in Guatemala with a college class.

Cabrini Immigrant Services in Dobbs Ferry, NY, serves a large population of people from Guatemala. It was felt that we needed to know more about the people we serve and what better way to learn than by someone who has had the experience of being in their country of origin.

Throughout Sr. Christine Marie’s presentation, we were brought to different areas of Guatemala. We saw how the people of Guatemala live. They experience injustice in so many ways. The people have been deprived of food and water, things that we take for granted. One could understand their fears especially when they arrive in a new country.

Sr. Christine Marie shared some of the student’s videos of their experiences on You-Tube. You can tell that each of them were touched in a very deep way through this experience. We, too, were affected very deeply by the presentation. Those who attended have asked that we meet again to share all that we learned. I believe that this presentation opened our eyes even more to what our clients have dealt with in their lives.

Thank you Sr. Christine Marie for sharing your experience with us!

                                                        

Cabrini of Westchester Supports Food Pantry

Once again during the Lenten Season, Cabrini of Westchester held its semi-annual food drive to benefit families, seniors, veterans and the new immigrant population in the Dobbs Ferry area. Staff and visitors dropped off canned and non-perishable items in the donation bin placed in Cabrini’s lobby. Cash donations were also received and all proceeds from the collection were recently delivered to the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry at South Presbyterian Church.

Food Drive crThe Dobbs Ferry Pantry Team is exploring other fund raising ideas and Cabrini of Westchester staffers look forward to learning how they can continue to support their efforts.

Cabrini College – Celebrating 10 Years of Social Justice and Service

CRS simulation Sr. Grace WatersTen years ago, faculty and administrators at Villanova University and Cabrini College realized that introducing college students to the real world lives of people around the world would help to shape them into engaged and caring citizens.

[Coincidentally,] Catholic Relief Services (CRS) came to the conclusion that in order to engage young people in the United States, working through

universities would be the best way [in which to achieve this goal.]

With this realization, the two groups began to help each other.

CRS works to lessen suffering and help those who are in need in over 100 countries around the world.

On campus, CRS student ambassadors work to raise awareness and involvement for a variety of global humanitarian issues that impact the less fortunate all around the world.

On Tuesday, April 14th, Cabrini College celebrated ten years of a partnership with CRS. At the campus celebration Cabrini President Dr. Donald Taylor and CRS Executive Vice President Joan Rosenhauer signed a partnership for the next ten years. Through the partnership, Cabrini College assisted CRS with its national and global curriculum and Cabrini College became the 17th college (nationwide) to receive Fair Trade status. Students were also given the chance to lobby and advocate on over 500 lobbying visits.

“It’s a profound privilege to have been here since the beginning of our partnership,” said Maureen McCullough, regional CRS director of Northeast Mid-Atlantic. “Throughout the ten years, it is amazing to see the impact not only on Cabrini and CRS, but on the people that we seek to serve around the globe.”

Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition Focuses on Human Exploitation

Human Exploitation: Ending the Demand

Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 3.17.40 PMLearn about the connection between the demand for pornography and human trafficking.

Attend this insightful workshop at Cabrini College in Radnor, PA.

Saturday, April 11th 2:00 – 4:30 pm

Widener Lecture Hall

Featured speakers:

Dr. Mary Ane Layden and James Tarring Cordrey

For more information, please contact: brvheart@blueroutevineyard.com

1260 Upper Gulph Road, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 484-581-7163   Fax: 484-581-7164
info@mothercabrini.org