Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Under Construction: A New Cabrini Closet

April 2, 2015

Last week, the CAAC in partnership with LifeWay Network and St. Raymond’s High School for Boys began construction of the Cabrini Closet, NYC. The boys receive training on human trafficking and then they performed the service of transforming an open space into a beautiful boutique. In total, approximately 84 boys will participate in this program. The closet will provide fashionable young women’s clothing to those who very often have nothing after leaving their trafficked situation. After three sessions, the closet is on schedule to be open early May in the Grammercy Park area of Manhattan. More information on the location of the closet will be forthcoming in the near future.

This closet will certainly be a beautiful ministry, which will provide a much-needed service to those who are beginning a new life of freedom.

Any member of the Cabrinian Community who is interested in volunteering to help at the closet is invited to contact Melanie Paccillo at CabriniAandA@aol.com or Karol Brewer at cabriniformation@aol.com

Information for anyone wishing to donate clothing or gift cards will follow in the future Weekly Updates. We expect to be able to accept donations by May 1st.

New Provincial Council Appointed

April 2, 2015

Sr. Pietrina Raccuglia, MSC, Provincial of the Stella Maris Province has announced the appointment of the new Provincial Councilors who will assist in the governance of the Stella Maris Province: Sr. Lucy Panettieri, MSC and Sr. Arlene Van Dusen, MSC.

Sr. Pietrina expressed her thanks to these sisters for their “yes” to this call of service and asks everyone in the Cabrinian community to support them with your prayers.

Sr. Pietrina expressed her thanks to Sr. Catherine Garry, MSC, Sr. Tommasina Lanski, MSC and Sr. Diane Olmstead for their service on the Provincial Council over the last six years.

: Sr. Lucy Panettieri, MSC

: Sr. Arlene Van Dusen, MSC

Pope Francis’ 10 Secrets to Happiness

March 12, 2015

Members of the Stella Maris Province Vocation Promotion Team (VPT) are always seeking opportunities to engage others in conversations about faith and discernment – prayerfully seeking guidance from God on all matters of life.

One such gathering happened this week at The Cottage in Radnor, PA where the MSC Mission Offices are based. VPT member Sr. Patricia Spillane shared Pope Francis’ 10 Secrets to Happiness with a small group of Cabrini College community members, CMC missioners and Mission Office staffers. Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, MSC and Sr. Grace Waters, MSC joined in the conversation.

Sr. Patricia was full of missionary zeal as she spoke about her call to religious life and the many roles she has held throughout her years as a Missionary Sister. She told the group that she has had a wonderful life – some years spent as Superior General and Assistant General of the Missionary Sisters, some years in the Philippines and early years spent on the Cabrini College campus as a student and as the Dean of Students.

Sr. Patricia led a dialogue on the 10 Secrets to Happiness by Pope Francis. Members of the group read each “secret” and a discussion ensued. For each secret, Sr. Patricia offered her own insights and wisdom. All of the participants were fully engaged in the discussion and the interaction was animated and heartfelt. We felt blessed by Sr. Patricia’s presence and so grateful for this opportunity to share these practical aspects of our faith journey.

As Sr. Patricia reminded us, “all of this challenges us to be authentic disciples of Jesus in the 21^st Century and to promote true peace and reconciliation wherever we can.”

Pope Francis’ 10 Secrets to Happiness are:

1. Live and let live. – How would your life be happier if you stopped trying to change the lives of others?

2. Be giving of yourself to others. – How have you experienced happiness through reaching out to help others?

3. Proceed calmly. – In what ways can you cultivate peacefulness in your life?

4. Develop a healthy sense of leisure .- How do you balance work and leisure in your life?

5. Make Sunday a holy day. – What kinds of things would you have to change in your life in order to reclaim Sunday as a holy day?

6. Create jobs for young people. – How can you help young people find dignity and happiness through meaningful work or service?

7. Respect and take care of nature. – What is something you can do to become a better steward of God’s creation?

8. Stop being negative. – What steps can you take to eliminate negativity in your life?

9. Respect others’ beliefs. How do you respect others’ beliefs and at the same time witness to your own.

10 Work for peace. – In what ways do you work and pray for peace?

Cabrini HIgh School Students Embark on Multi-faceted Mission Trip

March 9, 2015

A group of nine students and two chaperones from Cabrini High School in New Orleans sacrificed their Mardi Gras opting instead to go on a mission trip to Cabrini College in Radnor, PA and snowy New York City. The trip’s purpose was evangelization, direct service, and future discernment.

During the New York leg of their trip, the Cabrini High School “missioners” spent a day with the Missionary Sisters at Sacred Heart Convent, performing service at Cabrini Immigrant Services, and praying at the St. F. X Cabrini Shrine. The girls spent a second day visiting Fordham, New York University (NYU), and Columbia Universities, and Parson’s College of Design, and managed to visit Times Square to catch the Broadway Show, “On The Town.”

Next on the itinerary was Radnor, Pennsylvania where students toured Cabrini College and nearby Villanova University. At Cabrini, the girls met with several Cabrini New Orleans alumnae currently attending Cabrini College. There, they joined the Cabrini Mission Corps missioners and experienced the Cabriniana Room with many of Mother Cabrini’s most sacred artifacts. Cabrini College President Dr. Donald Taylor greeted all the participants.

A second day in Pennsylvania was spent historic Philadelphia, where the group visited Love Park, the Liberty Bell and the Reading Terminal Market.

Record snowfall – and Southwest Airlines – allowed us to spend a few extra days at Cabrini College, during which the students relaxed and reflected on the experiences of the previous days. The girls also found time to ride the subways and explore the community, ponder college life, perform service, engage in nightly reflection, and to pray. Meeting girls from other Cabrini schools on similar mission trips was a special treat, one that broadened their idea of what it means to be Cabrinian, and to live out Mother Cabrini’s legacy.