A Tip of the Hat for Cabrini H.S. Seniors

September 2, 2015

Cabrini High School honored the Senior Class of 2016 with hats uniquely crafted by their freshmen and pre-freshmen little sisters.

An annual tradition at Cabrini High School, Hat Day allows freshmen and pre-freshmen to show their gratitude to their Cabrini big sisters. During the celebration, seniors are presented with elaborately decorated handmade hats recognizing the personalities and ambitions of the senior students. Pre-freshmen, freshmen, and newly enrolled sophomores create hats for their senior sisters, which are proudly worn throughout the day. The event is the first honoring seniors as they embark on their last year Cabrini.

Sharing the Good News of Cabrini Immigrant Services

September 1, 2015

Earlier this summer, I had the honor of being a guest on Paul Feiner’s radio show on WVOX, New Rochelle, NY. The show, “The Greenburgh Report with Town Supervisor Paul Feiner,” is a weekly broadcast which tries to inform listeners about various programs usually within the Rivertowns. Mr. Feiner has served as Town Supervisor since 1991. He had visited Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS) to hear about the services that we offer to the immigrant population and at that time invited me to be a guest on his radio show.

Mr. Feiner was interested in the wonderful works that are being done at Cabrini of Westchester (COW) as well as CIS. He thought it would be great to spread the word about Cabrini. During the radio interview, I spoke about the nursing home as well as the different services that are offered through COW. I also spoke about Mother Cabrini and what a great example she is for immigrants. Mr. Feiner was very surprised to hear that Mother Cabrini not only lived in Dobbs Ferry but that she purchased the property that the nursing home is on. As he said, “Not many towns can boast of having a Saint who lived there!”

I was able to share about the programs being offered at CIS. Mr. Feiner, who is a strong advocate for Immigrants, was very pleased to hear about the programs offered for children as well as adults. He marveled at the fact that all of our services are free of charge. He truly saw how the mission of St. Cabrini is still alive and well today at CIS! Several times throughout the show, he said, “I know that St. Cabrini is looking down from Heaven and smiling at all of you as you continue her great works!”

It was both a pleasure and privilege to be asked to be on the show. It was an honor to be able to speak about Mother Cabrini and all the wonderful work that she began and that continues to be done in her name. ~ Lorraine Campanelli

Cabrini High School New Orleans Commemorates Katrina 10 Year Anniversary

September 1, 2015

Cabrini High School commemorated the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a ceremony depicting the reopening of school after the historic storm.

CAB Katrina 10th Anniversary Reopening Ceremony Cabrini chose to remember Hurricane Katrina by celebrating the reopening of the school, instead of the closure and damage wrought by the storm. As they did on November 8th, 2005, just 73 days after the storm’s landfall in New Orleans, the students, faculty, administration, and staff entered through the front doors of the historic Esplanade building, Mother Cabrini’s home in New Orleans.

The first girls school to reopen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Cabrini High School’s return reflected the determination and resiliency of the school’s founder, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Miraculously unscathed by the flooding and winds of Hurricane Katrina, Cabrini High School was able to restore the school’s buildings and physical plant quickly, becoming an inspiration to other schools, businesses, and individuals as they struggled to overcome the effects of the storm. The school operated for a month-and-a-half in Baton Rouge prior to returning to the historical campus in New Orleans’ Mid-City region.

Junior Cabrini Companions Blow out Mother Cabrini’s Birthday Candles

July 29, 2015

The Southern California chapter of the Junior Cabrini Companions, led by Sr. Regina Palamara, MSC held a special meeting on July 15th in honor of Mother Cabrini’s birthday. The group of Junior Cabrini Companions, girls and boys ranging in age from three to ten, usually meet semi-monthly to enjoy food, fellowship, swimming in the Southern California sun, and learning more about the life and work of Mother Cabrini.

At their July 15th gathering, the group also had a special cinnamon and brown sugar cake, complete with lit candles and singing to celebrate the life of Mother Cabrini.

Birthday Benefit for National Shrine in Chicago

July 28, 2015

The third annual Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Birthday Benefit took place on Wednesday, July 15th celebrating her 165^th birthday. The evening began with a festive 5 pm Mass in the Shrine and moved across the park to The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The weather was glorious as patrons enjoyed cocktails in the garden followed by dinner and an auction. Guests were free to explore the museum’s exhibits, including the lovely butterfly haven.

We were delighted to have Missionary Sisters Joan McGlinchey, Bridget Zanin, Joaquina Costa, Joan Marie Sariti, Benigna Morais, Alfonsina Gomes and Renee Kittelson on hand for the event.

The Shrine’s fundraising committee, chaired by Florence Sorensen, brought about a successful event with over 200 people in attendance. The auction items included a sun-filled week at the Westin Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico and Notre Dame vs. Navy football tickets with four fabulous 50-yard line seats.

It was a joyous birthday celebration in the honor of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. She would have enjoyed it!

Chicago Says Good-bye to a Legend

July 27, 2015

Fr. Dan Nolan celebrated a farewell mass for Sr. Joan Marie Sariti, MSC. Over sixty invited guests attended. A lovely reception followed the mass that was hosted by her community.

Sr. Joan Marie has lived in Chicagoland for sixty-four years. She did her nurses training at Columbus School of Nursing and later she obtained her masters at De Paul University. She worked in pediatrics and in nursing administration.

Joan Marie was missioned to Cabrini Hospital in Seattle for a year and a half and Cabrini Hospital in Montreal, Canada for about the same amount of time.

Farewell, Sr. Joan Marie. You are loved and will be missed.

: Fr. Dan Nolan offers Sr. Joan Marie a sign of peace.

: Sr. Alfonsina Gomes and Nancy Golen join other friends in wishing Sr. Joan Marie well.

: Sr. Joan Marie and Fr. Dan

: Cutting her beautiful cake!

Cabrini Health Nurse Volunteers in Rwanda

July 15, 2015

In February 2015, Jovie Ann Decoyna, a nurse who works at Cabrini Health, Australia left for two weeks to volunteer in Rwanda. Accompanying her on the flight was the goodwill of many within the Cabrini community who had donated toys, clothes and medical supplies.

Rwanda, a central African country, remains impoverished and deeply scarred by the civil war that began in 1990, which climaxed in a frenzied period of genocide in 1994. Jovie travelled there as part of the medical program of the Global Volunteer Network and was supported by a Cabrini clinical services grant.

Jovie worked in a health centre taking blood, performing HIV tests, giving immunization protection, dressing wounds and assisting in the maternity unit. She dewormed children in a transient centre and visited women who had been victims of domestic violence. The medical supplies Jovie brought with her provided health workers there, at least for a short while, with the means to do their work as best they could. The donated clothing was distributed to the waiting arms of those who had little to call their own and whose gratitude was immense.

Until the volunteers arrived, the children’s beds in the transient centre were alive with bed bugs. Jovie was one of the volunteers who washed blankets and sheets by hand for hours and painted the beds in preparation for a shipment of new mattresses and bedcovers. The donated toys now grace beds fit for the children and have brought joy to their lives.

Jovie was shaken by much that she saw but grateful and honoured to be able to help. She says: “During one of my dressing changes, an elderly woman came in. Her wound was almost healed but I noticed that the scar encircled the entire lower leg around the ankle. She said she sustained it during the genocide. What can you say to an elderly woman who has carried the burden of seeing the horror and atrocities of the genocide through her open wound every day for 20 years? I just went on my knees and cleaned her wound in reverent silence.”

Jovie’s work does not end in Rwanda, she volunteers weekly with Asylum Seekers.

Emerging from a battered childhood into a hopeful future at Cabrini College

July 13, 2015

Valery Swope, 18, answered her phone one afternoon in March. It was Cabrini College telling her she had been accepted.

“I feel so great. Oh, my Lord. I’ve got to tell everyone.

To read Valery’s amazing story of courage and perseverance and to watch a video:

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150712_Emerging_from_a_tragic__battered_childhood__hope_in_a_college_future.html

Middle States Reaffirms Cabrini College Accreditation

July 9, 2015

Cabrini College has received official notification from Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) that its accreditation has been reaffirmed and that it is being recognized for its progress. The College has been a member of MSCHE since 1965.

MSCHE’s campus visit, conducted March 22-25, 2015, was the culmination of years of institutional self-study and preparation involving the commitment of the entire campus community.

Cabrini was assessed on—and met all—14 standards for reaccreditation, which address the following criteria:

overall mission of the college
objectives and goals
student requirements for admissions
services available to students
quality of education
reputation of faculty

Visiting MSCHE members were “very impressed” by Cabrini and praised the high quality of the work demonstrated by everyone in the College community, citing Cabrini’s commitment to its mission of offering an Education of the Heart to students.

Cabrini President Dr. Donald B. Taylor congratulated all those involved in achieving this reaccreditation and recognition of progress. “So many of you worked hard, worked smart, and worked with passion. To the entire Cabrini College community, thank you for your diligent and professional effort.”

Cabrini’s next Periodic Review Report will be submitted in June of 2020; the next self-study evaluation occurs in 2024–25.

Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation as the accrediting body for institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, MSCHE works to define, maintain, and promote educational excellence across institutions.