Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Cabrini University Goes to the Movies

April 11, 2024

On Saturday, April 6th, Cabrini University alumni, faculty, staff, and friends gathered at the Regal Theatre in King of Prussia, PA, for a special showing of the CABRINI film. Hollie Havens, Cabrini College, Class of 1998, was the creative force spearheading the event.

Many, many members of the Cabrini University community, whose lives have been indelibly touched by Mother Cabrini and her “education of the heart” attended the film event, proudly wearing their Cabrini gear to celebrate our Patroness and inspiration.

With the closure of Cabrini University this spring, opportunities to come together as one to celebrate our heritage and our friendships are precious. We will continue to look to Mother Cabrini to keep us united and our bonds, strong in the future.

Cabrini University presents Ivy Young Willis-Martha Willis Dale Award

September 19, 2023

Each year, the History and Political Science Department of Cabrini University recognizes a woman who has made a noteworthy contribution to the civic life of her community; local, regional, national, or international. She is invited to Cabrini to speak to our students and receive the Ivy Young Willis and Martha Willis Dale Award.

This year’s recipient, PA State Representative Jennifer M. O’Mara, is being honored for her creative, innovative and progressive contributions to public affairs. Jennifer believes there is more that unites us than divides us and is committed to being part of a government that serves the people.

Established through the generosity of their respective families, in addition to many friends and alumni, the Ivy Young Willis and Martha Willis Dale Award and lecture series was initially established in 1992 by William G. Willis to honor Ivy, his late wife and modified in 2013 by John Dale to honor his late wife and daughter of Ivy and William. Martha’s son, Ian Anderson, offered a family history during the program.

Ivy Young Willis was a teacher, administrator, and reading consultant whose work, at WQED in Pittsburgh led the way for the teaching of reading on public television. Martha Willis Dale, a much-beloved alumni director at Cabrini College for 26 years, modeled her mother’s teachings through her life of service to students, alumni and the community. This series is dedicated to their memory and the strong belief a that women have a unique talent for improving the climate and conduct of public affairs.

Cabrini University Community bids Sr. Grace a Fond Farewell

September 15, 2022

Beloved by all on campus, on Thursday, September 8th, faculty, staff and administrators turned out to wish Sr. Grace Waters, MSC a fond farewell as she leaves for her new mission at Sacred Heart Convent in New York.

Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, MSC, hosted a reception for Sr. Grace in the University’s Wolfington Center. Interim President Ms. Helen Drinan joined the festivities as Sr. Grace did the honors of cutting the cake.

For years, Sr. Grace has been a gentle presence, stopping by the various campus buildings to share a pleasant word with staff members, attending sporting events, and encouraging students to keep up with their studies. She and Sr. Christine Marie would take regular strolls through campus and share greetings with all whom they encountered.

Sr. Grace would often remark, “how come everyone knows who I am?” We would respond, “because you are famous!”

The campus community will deeply miss her warmth and friendship.

Godspeed, Sr. Grace!

Cabrini University Cupboard Serving More Students Than Ever

September 7, 2022

The Cabrini Cupboard, the University’s on campus food pantry, will offer an expanded variety of fresh food and accessories this year in an effort to serve students across the food insecurity spectrum.

The reimagined Cupboard has been open all summer, offering students fresh vegetables, meats, and dairy products, as well as toiletries and other items. Angela N. Campbell, PhD, Vice President, Mission, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Student Engagement, said the aim was to create the feel of a market inside the Cupboard – a vision that has been realized through partnerships with the University’s Wolfington Center and Campus Ministry forged with local farms and community organizations.

Ray Ward, PhD, Director, Cabrini’s Wolfington Center, through which students engage in service work with the Cupboard, said that the Pierce Foundation enables some of Cabrini’s “brightest and most civically minded students” to “pursue innovative approaches to ending hunger and food insecurity in our own communities.”

Hunger and food insecurity are best addressed in partnership with those who understand it first-hand, and we have seen that some of our most powerful advocates in this fight have been students working out of their own struggles with obtaining good meals,” said Ward.

The Wolfington Center has partnered with Martha’s Choice Marketplace, a food pantry in nearby Norristown, PA, bringing in fresher, healthier foods than standard grab-and-go snacks and microwave meals. Increased refrigeration capacity has also brought a wider variety of food, such as meats and dairy.

The Cabrini Cupboard receives two shipments of food monthly from Martha’s Choice and has seen great support from the Pincus Family Foundation. More food and accessories are donated each year from the Cabrini Cavalier community at large, including faculty, staff and alumni.

To see a brief video and to read the complete account, please click here

Cabrini Immigrant Services, NYC and Cabrini University rally on May Day for Immigrants

May 4, 2017

Cabrini Immigrant Services Marches in New York City

On May 1st Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC staff and Justice for Immigrants members joined immigrant rights, labor, faith and allied organizations for a May Day action in support of immigrants and workers. Thousands came together in New York City to stand up against anti-immigrant and anti-worker policies and to demand that President Trump end his attacks on immigrant, refugees and Muslim communities. Activists, community leaders, City Council Members and even the Mayor were present to show their support for our immigrant brothers and sisters. To stay up to date on how CIS-NYC continues to stand up for immigrants every day follow us on Twitter or Facebook or check out our website!

Cabrini University Students and Staff Rally in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, May 1, Cabrini students and staff took time away from preparing for finals to make their way to the nation’s capital for a march and rally in solidarity with workers and immigrants. Earlier in the semester students had made protest signs with slogans like, “No Human Is Illegal,” and “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants,” and these signs were hung on a barricade constructed on the University Commons for a Border Solidarity Mass celebrated on April 19 to commemorate Pope Francis’s visit to the US-Mexico border the year prior.

Cabrini students took those signs and joined thousands of other protesters in DuPont Circle to protest anti-immigrant sentiments and policies, representing the namesake of the Patron Saint of Immigrants. Chants worked their way through the crowds, alternating between English and Spanish: “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” We arrived at Lafayette Square, named for an immigrant hero of the Revolution and cheered facing the White House for the hope that we can be better together.

Walking back to the van we passed through the MLK Memorial, with tired legs and hoarse voices, reading his words: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” And “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Guns: Violence and Safety – A Lenten Lecture Series topic

March 7, 2017

Guns: Violence and Safety

A Panel Discussion

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Iadarola Lecture Hall

4:30 pm

Panel discussion addressing regional initiatives to address gun ownership and gun violence.

Diana Trasatti – NJ Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Diana Trassati is an alumna of Cabrini University and volunteer Communications Lead for the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. She and the NJ chapter recently drove more than 4,000 messages to protest Gov. Christie’s veto of a bipartisan law requiring domestic abusers to turn in their guns.

Charles Howard, PhD – UPenn Chaplain, Activist and Poet
Rev. Charles Howard, PhD is the University Chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, and has launched the Gun-Free World initiative that uses music, poetry and visual art to spark encounter and dialogue around issues of gun violence.

Bryan Miller – Heeding God’s Call

Brian Miller is the executive director of Heeding God’s Call, a faith based group working to prevent gun violence, and previously was executive director of Ceasefire NJ. After Miller’s brother, a DC metro police officer, was killed in a shooting in a police station he has committed himself to gun violence prevention.

Gun ownership continues to be a contentious issue in our society, and shootings account for a staggering number of deaths each year, whether in the form of mass shootings, gang-related killings, or handgun-inflicted suicides. This panel of regional experts, activists, and institutional leaders address recent developments and continuing challenges in this area.

This panel discussion is part of the Lenten Lecture Series: Blessed Are the Peacemakers. It will present an intimate conversation among practitioners and allow students, faculty, and staff to enter into dialogue with people working in the trenches of social justice issues.

All events are free and open to the public. Course attendance is welcome.

Cabrini University is Named College of the Year by National Hispanic Institute

November 17, 2016

Cabrini University Named College of the Year by the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) during the organization’s annual Celebración event in McAllen, Texas.

Brian Eury, University Chief of Staff and VP of Community Partnerships and External Relations, accepts the award on behalf of Cabrini.

Cabrini received the award for being one of the organization’s strongest partners and for recognizing the importance and impact of NHI’s mission on the University’s campus.

In 2014, Cabrini established its partnership with NHI when Donald B. Taylor, Ph.D. began his tenure as President of Cabrini.

“The partnership between Cabrini and NHI was a natural fit, built upon a common mission to cultivate leaders and make a college degree more accessible,” said Taylor. “We are honored to receive this award and look forward to our continued work together.”

For the past three years, Cabrini has hosted NHI for its annual Collegiate World Series, a five-day program that provides high-achieving Latino students from across the U.S., Mexico, and the Dominican Republic insight into the college admissions process, financial aid, and strategic planning for personal and professional success.

“As the University continues on its pathway to become a Hispanic Serving Institution, our work with NHI has created a solid foundation to build essential relationships with the Hispanic community,” said Taylor.

As NHI’s showcase event, Celebración is a four-day experience for high school and undergraduate students to introduce them to community social entrepreneurship as part of their continued involvement in leadership training. The event culminates with an awards ceremony. ~ from a Cabrini University press release

Cabrini University Named to President’s Community Service Honor Roll

November 8, 2016

Cabrini University has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, highlighting more than 27,500 hours of service completed by Cabrini students.

In the past decade, Cabrini has received this honor nine times. The University also was recognized in the Interfaith Honor Roll and the Education Honor Roll, both with distinction.

The Honor Roll recognizes colleges and universities across the nation that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes for their communities.

“We are proud of the incredible amount of service provided by Cabrini students,” said Thomas Southard, Director of theWolfington Center at Cabrini University. “Our work is broad, across soup kitchens, international relief agencies, schools, and so many other organizations. And it’s also deep; our students are doing research, advocating for others, and supporting business plans for nonprofits. This is the core of Cabrini’s Education of the Heart.”

Evaluation for the Honor Roll is based on scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service learning permeates the curriculum, commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes of the service.

Through its Justice Matters core curriculum, Cabrini ensures that each student has the opportunity to participate in service-learning coursework in addition to participating in direct and indirect service opportunities.

Cabrini’s inclusion in the Honor Roll is made possible through its Engagements with the Common Good (ECG) courses along with its long-standing community partnerships, including the University’s partner city of Norristown, Pa.

Through these programs, students:

Addressed the high school drop-out rates among Latino students by mentoring middle and high school students and helping them with homework, fitting in at school, and adjusting to life in the Norristown area.
Led efforts to end hunger in the Philadelphia region by partnering with hunger relief organizations to create a series of programs at the University to educate the community and engage people in direct service
Partnered with Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland to provide professional development to Swazi teens who were aging out of the mission’s services, and to prepare lesson plans to help Swazi students learn English
Collaborated with faculty and staff, as well as national and local organizations including the Laurel House and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, to support domestic violence prevention, awareness, and education efforts
Encouraged interfaith dialogue through campuswide services, fellowship meals, and a lecture series to further weave interfaith worship more seamlessly into the fabric of the University

The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

For more information on the President’s Honor Roll, please visit nationalservice.gov.

Cabrini University Hosts Involvement Fair

September 8, 2016

Involvement Fair Molly cr IMG_1160 With Cabrini University welcoming its largest incoming first year class in ten years, on Wednesday, September 7th, an Involvement Fair was held on the Commons on campus. The Involvement Fair is the prime opportunity for recruiting new members to student organizations and leadership roles. The Involvement Fair is hosted each year by the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership (SEaL).

The Involvement Fair was held from 4pm-7pm.

o Dinner was served at the Fair.

o Activities, giveaways, & music added to the fun.

o Each student organization staffed a table to represent it’s group & recruit new members.

The Involvement Fair is a wonderful way for all students to become better acquainted with the many opportunities for service and involvement on campus.

Welcome Cabrini University Class of 2020!

September 2, 2016

On Friday, August 26th, approximately 350 first-year students moved into their residence halls, attended a Matriculation Ceremony, began the three-day New Student Orientation, and enjoyed a campus picnic with their families and new classmates.

0286-cabrini-move-in-2015carousel In the morning, new students moved into Xavier, East, and Woodcrest Halls, the latter of which has been newly renovated with a handicapped-accessible ramp, new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, new furniture, and perhaps the most exciting addition: air-conditioning units.

With 150 student volunteers, incoming students and their families had plenty of help hauling refrigerators, televisions, and coffeemakers into residence hall rooms.

In the morning all first year students and their families, along with faculty and staff, were invited to a Welcoming Mass.

Later in the day, new students were formally enrolled as members of the Cabrini community at the Matriculation Ceremony, an academic tradition from the 15th and 16th centuries that signals the joint commitment of Cabrini to the enrolling student and of the student to the mission and culture of the University.

During the ceremony, Cabrini presents the official register in which entering students will sign their names.

All students are wished a productive and successful new academic year.