Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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Be the Light! A Prayer Vigil for Community

On Sunday, November 27th, a prayer vigil entitled “Be The Light,” was held at the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park in Dobbs Ferry, NY.   The aim of the candlelight vigil was to bring thdf-prayer-vigil-cr-jpge community together, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or immigration status.

The prayer vigil, organized by several Dobbs Ferry families, wanted to promote the message of peace and unity within the community following the presidential election. It is the hope that everyone who resides in Dobbs Ferry will feel that they belong and are accepted.

During the service we were asked to talk to someone we didn’t know and share our hopes for the future. We were then asked to call out some words that were shared. We heard beautiful sentiments such as “compassion, kindness, love, acceptance and curiosity about a person, not hate.”

Several of our tutors as well as some families from Cabrini Immigrant Services participated in the prayer vigil. Our prayers will continue as we begin to heal as a nation.

The Jubilee Year of Mercy Draws to a Close

On Christ the King Sunday, November 20th, the Jubilee Year of Mercy that Pope Francis announced in January 2015 and inaugurated on December 8th a year ago will come to an end. The Pope offered this special year as an opportunity and a challenge. It was an opportunity to change for the better, to reach out to those estranged from us, to mend our ways where they needed mending. And it was a challenge to open our eyes to see those in need who walk our streets and pass us by, to open our hearts to the stranger, the migrant, the other.holy-doors-of-mercy-5

A strong symbol of a jubilee year is the holy door. St. Peter’s Basilica has a special door that is closed off except in jubilee years. The Pope opens the door and the year begins. This year, churches around the world—from Bangui in the Central African Republic to a modest tent in Erbil, Iraq—designated a holy door as a reminder that this is a privileged time for reconciliation, for setting things right, for entering a sacred space.

The three Cabrinian Shrines – Chicago, IL, Golden, CO and New York, NY – each have had Holy Doors.

Other doors can open us to mercy—those that close off refugee camps or prisons, those we might open to visit a nursing home or a hospital. And the sacred space we enter does not have to be physical. It includes relationships with those we love. It includes encounter with those we may have closed off. It includes looking into the eyes of those we usually do not see.

This jubilee year included many special events. One Friday each month Pope Francis carried out some special sign of mercy—visiting a home for needy children or a refuge for prostitutes rescued from the streets. He made mercy a central theme of World Youth Day in Krakow in July. He canonized Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who had spent her life doing works of mercy. On November 5th, 1,000 prisoners from 12 countries along with family members and security staff walked through St. Peter’s holy door at the pope’s invitation to attend Mass with him; marginalized and homeless people came to a similar event the following Saturday.

As this Jubilee Year ends, the need for mercy does not. This year has seen floods of refugees driven from their homes in Syria and elsewhere, risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes facing hostility in their new homes. And many in our own society could use a helping hand, another chance. Fighting racism, ending scapegoating, feeding our own hungry would be great acts of mercy, too.

As this year ends, it is crucial that we not shut the door—holy or otherwise—on the needs of those around us. Modern life produces stress in families and other relationships; we need to examine ourselves for how we can make things right.

~excerpts from Doors of Mercy Editorial, AMERICA Magazine

 

Cabrini High School Hosts Successful Vocation Day

vocation-day-1-group-photo-cr-1001161651a-jpgThe Lord has done great things for us and we are happy! On Saturday, October 1st, we had a beautiful vocational meeting in our Cabrini High School (CHS) in New Orleans. Twelve young people from different parishes and also of different ages, participated in the activity. Ten of them came in person, brimming with enthusiasm, feeling that the Lord has called them and the two others, participated in the meeting by Skype.

It was an unforgettable encounter, where everyone was open to hear the experiences related by the other. We were amazed to hear how the Lord calls when He wants and in the most amazing and unimaginable ways! Some expressed, with tears, the emotion of being “chosen”. Others – like one of the Cabrini High School students – shared joyfully how during the Open House held by the High School that when she entered the room of Mother Cabrini [which is in the Esplanade Building of the High School], that she felt that she wanted to study at CHS and wanted to give her whole life to the service of immigrants. We cried, we laughed, we ate, we shared … And at the end of our meeting we hugged each other, promising to continue to pray for our vocations!

There is definitely an awakening of young religious vocations in women in New Orleans, and although, currently, most young people who become priests or religious are typically in their thirties or older, it is likely that the roots of these [budding] vocations were established in their teens or even earlier. So we believe it is important to heed their concerns and provide support and accompaniment for these young women who dare to express what they feel their hearts.

May the Lord grant us many and holy vocations and that the garden that Mother Cabrini cultivated in the United States of America, continues to flourish, for us to continue being “Bearers of Christ in the world.” Please pray that we continue to “awaken the world” living our present with passion.

The Jubilee Year of Mercy Embraced by Religious Communities

 

holy-doors-of-mercy-3Since Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy which opened on December 8, 2015, around the world religious communities have been making this year truly extraordinary. Here are just a few of the ways men and women in consecrated life have been expressing the merciful dimension of God during this year:

  • Religious communities have been using their websites and social media to communicate and convey the Christian concept of mercy. Facebook pages of religious congregations have carried inspirational messages and have suggested concrete actions to express and offer mercy.
  • Religious congregations are hosting retreats, special days of prayer and reflections, and book discussions on the theme of mercy.
  • Educational institutions sponsored by religious communities are discussing mercy, praying about it in classrooms and in chapels, and spearheading special works of mercy service projects.
  • Many religious order priests have become “missionaries of mercy,” priests specially appointed by Pope Francis to be responsible for preaching, teaching and practicing mercy.
  • Religious communities have ritually opened “holy doors of mercy” in their own chapels, shrines and holy places.

Pope Francis has encouraged all Catholics – ordained, religious and lay – to make a pilgrimage to a designated church or shrine to visit a “holy door of mercy” to better experience God’s mercy through the symbolism of crossing a threshold. There is still time – the Jubilee Year of Mercy will conclude on November 20, 2016. Holy Doors of Mercy have been designated at St. Frances X. Cabrini Shrine in New York City, Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, CO, and the National Shrine of St. Frances X. Cabrini in Chicago.                                    ~ excerpts from VISION Vocation Guide

CHS’ Hrapmann and Arand Attend Loyola Institute

Yvonne and Laura - Picture with Certificates crCabrini High School Principal Yvonne Hrapmann (Orleans) and Campus Minister Laura Arand (Orleans) recently attended the 2016 Summer Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership at Loyola University sponsored by the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM). Presenters included Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J. on Catholic Social Teachings and LIM Director, Dr. Thomas Ryan on Pope Francis and the Spirituality of Encounter.

Mrs. Hrapmann shared, “The institute was an informative experience that both affirmed our work and challenged us to go deeper into practical applications and theological reflection.”

Ms. Arand said, “My favorite portion of LIM was when we talked about the Spirituality of Encounter. I feel like I do this sometimes without even thinking when I am with the girls at Cabrini; encouraging them to constantly search, step out of their comfort zone, and see Christ in the beauty around them. This affirmed what I do as a Campus Minister, naturally modeling and sparking spirituality because of my closeness and realness with them.”

MSCs Debut New Video

Since the launch of the new Mother Cabrini website in February of 2015, the MSC Communications Office, in tandem with the Stella Maris Province Vocation Promotion Team, has been working on the production of new promotional materials that compliment the graphic design and messaging of the updated province website.

Thanks to this collaborative effort, a new brochure, designed to reflect the colors and style of the www.mothercabrini.org website, are currently being printed and are scheduled for delivery early next week.

Additionally, a brief video, intended as a compliment to the printed materials, providing a comprehensive overview of the life and ministries of the Missionary Sisters, has been produced and will be featured on the MSC website and on social media.

We have linked the video for download so that Missionary Sisters and all Cabrini ministries are invited to use the video for occasions such as new employee orientations; student recruitment fairs; opening reflections at board and staff meetings; introductory protocols at special events and, most certainly, as a way of inviting young women to consider their life’s vocation as a Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Special thanks to Gina Scarpello, Director of Cabrini Mission Corps, and CMC missioner Ashley Block for lending their video and photographic talent and expertise to make the video a reality.

MSC General Superior and General Councilor have audience with Pope Francis

On April 15, 2016, Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC, General Superior, and Sr. Bernadette Anello, MSC, General Councilor, attended a private Mass with Pope Francis.

Sr. Barbara shares the following thoughts…

“It’s almost too sacred to write about. Today, [April 15] I attended Mass at Santa Martha’s, the Pope’s private mass with about 50 people in attendance. After the Mass I had the great honor to greet His Holiness, to shake his hand, to receive his Papal blessing. When I mentioned Mother Cabrini, he responded with joy and said “Brava!” I thanked him for his example of being Christ and for loving the poor, immigrants and refugees.”

Sr. Bernadette remarked:

“the experience was unforgettable for both Sr. Barbara and myself. Words fail…but the memories remain.” 

Sr. Bernadette added:

“[Pope Francis’] smile upon receiving these gifts [presented by Sr. Barbara] was worth a thousand words…”

 

Gathering for a Mercy Day of Recollection and Prayer

Forty members of the Cabrinian community including Missionary Sisters, Cabrini Lay Missionaries, Cabrini Companions, Cabrini College alumnae, Cabrini employees and friends gathered on the campus of Cabrini College on Saturday, March 12th for a Day of Recollection, Reflection and Prayer.

The day included reflections on the Year of Mercy by Missionary Sisters Bernadette Casciano and Christine Marie Baltas, as well as spiritual movement led by Diane Kistler and mindfulness meditations led by Fr. Edwin Robinson, OSF.

Opportunities for individual quiet reflection, coloring mandalas, walking the grounds and meditation in chapel were an integral part of the day.

During the midday time of fellowship, participants could view artifacts of Mother Cabrini in the Cabriniana Room with curator and assistant library director Anne Schwelm.

The day concluded with liturgy in the Bruckmann Chapel of St. Joseph.

 

 

 

Today is Ash Wednesday

Lent 2010 2Today begins the holy season of Lent.  Today’s focus is on our mortality, that we are dust and to dust we shall return, beautifully balanced by the promise of resurrection that we know awaits us in the aftermath of Calvary.

Our God is “gracious and merciful” “slow to anger, rich in kindness.”

Merciful God, we stand before you today, fully aware of our human frailty, but hopeful in your love.  ew offer you our hearts and all our plans for this Lenten season.  You know what we need most to grow closer to you in the days and weeks ahead.  Give us eyes to see your path and ears to hear your voice amid the chaos of the world around us.

Latina Night at The Cabrini Cottage

Latina Night 2 AA cr - 2.4.16What a wonderful Latina Night we had last evening hosted by the Hispanic Committee of the NRVC Delaware Valley Member Area! On behalf of the Missionary Sisters, we so enjoyed welcoming everyone to the Cottage.

We made new friends, we shared life, we prayed for the Year of Mercy, we considered the gifts with which God has gifted us, we sang songs in Spanish and English, and we enjoyed a festive meal together!!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped in bringing this evening together.  It was wonderful to have Sr. Barbara Brigham, MMS, Sr. Cathy Nally, IHM, Sr. Paula, IHM with us.  Special thanks to Sr. Terry Saetta, RSM for planning our prayer program; to Sr. Anita Quigley, SHCJ for bringing dessert goodies; to Sr. Lisa Valentini for bringing her guitar and leading us in song, and to all of you who were able to attend the evening and to all who were supporting us in prayer.

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