Fr. Luigi, glancing out the window, noticed his little niece sitting by a bubbling stream, sending off small paper boats down the brook.

Curious, he approached his niece and, as he came closer, observed her placing purple violets into each one, before gently pushing them off.

“What is it you’re doing, Little One?” he questions.

Blushing, she responds, “Well, Uncle, the violets are missionaries who I’m sending off far and wide, to China and beyond, where they are bringing the love of Christ to those who have not experienced it…”

Little did she know she was prophesizing her very own future.

“I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him.” ~ Mother Cabrini

In 1850, Maria Francesca Cabrini was born in what was then the Austrian Empire, in a small town near Milan, Italy. She was the runt of the family, being the last of 13! Unfortunately, her family was plagued by bad health, and only four of them survived into adulthood.

Clearly inspired by God at a young age, at the age of 18, she chased her vocation and made a request to join the convent, but the sisters, fearing she wouldn’t be able to handle the convent life with her bad health, denied her entry.

Persistent and not easily discouraged, she became the headmistress of an orphanage in Codogno, and there her good work attracted others. Growing in numbers, she founded an order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where each member took vows. She herself wrote the Rule and Constitution of the order. Gaining inspiration from St. Francis Xavier, she took the name of Frances.

They began their work in earnest and, within 5 years, they established seven homes, a free school, and a nursey. To help pay expenses and to keep their services free, they sold fine embroidery on the side.

Eager to expand their charity work, they traveled to Rome and asked the Pope if they could establish missions in China. The Pope recognized their holiness and ambition, but directed them elsewhere, “Not to the East, but to the West!”

Arriving in New York City in 1889, they were a band of seven. After meeting initial resistance from the local bishop, their work blossomed and spread rapidly, especially helping the many Italian immigrants who had moved there.

Over the past decade, over a million Italians had moved to America to escape poverty, but the environment wasn’t much better in the US. There were few priests that spoke Italian and the living conditions were just miserable. Sheds for houses, 12-hour work shifts for pennies in exchange, and little to no education or healthcare for the children.

The need was great, and Mother Cabrini responded to it. Going door to door gathering funds, often being hit with insults and humiliating comments, she persisted, and somehow established an orphanage for the many disadvantaged kids, followed by several schools and a hospital.

“Today, love must not be hidden. It must be living, active, and true!” ~ Mother Cabrini

And she didn’t stop there! Moving on west, she went from city to city, state to state, answering in remarkable speeds the various necessities of each place, from catechism classes to homeless shelters to clinics. As soon as she finished one project, she moved on to wherever she was needed next, producing whatever was needed in the area, no matter the odds. This was especially significant for the time, because social services were not existent and most of these people had nowhere else to go.

In just 34 years, she founded 67 institutions, from schools to orphanages to hospitals. She was resourceful and persistent, always able to get donations or find ways to raise funds for her various projects, which spanned from Denver, Seattle, New Orleans, Los Angeles, etc., and into Latin America and Europe! Throughout her life, she made 23 trans-Atlantic crossings in order to expand her charity work.

“We spend millions but haven’t a cent. We draw from the Bank of Providence. Its funds are inexhaustible.” ~ Mother Cabrini

She spent a considerable amount of time in Chicago, which is where she considered her home. There she established two hospitals and had a huge impact on the poor and disadvantaged. After her canonization, there were so many pilgrims visiting her convent room in Columbus Hospital, that the bishop had a shrine built there in her honor. It is still there to this day.

The Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Stritch, had this to say about St. Frances:

“She loved us. She was our benefactress. She rode our street cars. She went begging in our streets. Through alleys she went in search of little hungry children who were homeless and friendless. The very day she died she had been wrapping candy for Christmas gifts for poor children.”

In 1917, at age 67, in the hospital she founded, she died of complications from malaria. She was naturalized a US citizen in 1909 and canonized a saint in 1946, 

the very first US citizen to be declared a saint.

There are over 60 churches, schools, and hospitals named in her honor. Today, her order, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, can be found on six continents and 17 countries throughout the world, still serving the poor.

In celebration of her canonization, a holy hour was held at Soldier Field (the Chicago Bears Stadium) where over a 120,000 people attended in her honor!

Mother Cabrini, infused with a contagious energy and overwhelming ambition, visualized and yearned to spread Catholicism everywhere through her charitable work, and that she did. Affecting tens of thousands of people all over the world, living her entire life for others, she is a true inspiration. What would the world look like if just a few of us had even a fraction of her commitment? How many souls could be saved? How many people could be exposed to the love of Christ?

“Did a Magdalene, a Paul, a Constantine, an Augustine become mountains of ice after their conversion? Quite the contrary. We should never have had these prodigies of conversion and marvelous holiness if they had not changed the flames of human passion into volcanoes of immense love of God.” ~ Mother Cabrini

The First Amongst Us ~ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)

A lawyer, a soldier, a governor, a friar, a man of many hats, St. John followed God’s will rigorously, no matter where it took him.

“I had never thought about embracing such a life; still, if God so will it, I will obey.” St. John of Capistrano

On June 24, 1386, in the small town of Capistrano, Italy, St. John was born. His father passed away when he was just a young boy, so he was raised primarily by his mother. As a teenager, he studied law at the University of Perugia and became a lawyer. After serving as a lawyer for some time, King Ladislaus of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia at the ripe age of 26. During his stint as governor, a war broke out between Perguria and Malatestas, an Italian family of great prestige. St. John served as an ambassador to try to bring peace, but his efforts were in vain and he was thrown into prison.

While in prison, St. John had time to reassess his life and began studying theology. In his cell he had a vision of a Franciscan friar surrounded by light who encouraged him to join the Franciscan order. He promptly upheaved his life, dropping everything, and joined the order immediately after being released from prison.

In 1420, before he was even ordained, St. John began preaching and instructing the faithful, which was the start of a long and very successful vocation as a preacher. Throughout his life, he preached all over Europe, from Italy to Germany, even going as far as Russia and Spain. As word of his efficacious sermons began to spread, he began to garner huge crowds, to the point where even the largest churches weren’t big enough for his sermons. Eventually he was forced to preach in public squares and farmers’ fields just to be able to fit everyone.

Catholics eager to hear him congregated in the tens of thousands. Numbers of 50,000 or 80,000 were not uncommon. One time a crowd gathered of 126,000! Just to let that sink in, the largest Super Bowl attendance ever was 103,000. He was able to preach God’s message so effectively that every time he spoke there were dozens of conversions. Even the most hardened of heretics came back to the Church after listening to him. His talks brought hundreds of young men to join the Franciscans, which began to flourish through his efforts.

He radiated holiness and passion and was known for speaking boldly with great enthusiasm. He carried with him a perpetual optimism, so much so that his very appearance touched people’s hearts.

Those who are called to the table of the Lord must glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life. They must learn from the eminent teacher, Jesus Christ. ‘You are the light of the world’ Matthew 5:14. Now a light does not illumine itself but instead it diffuses its rays and shines all around upon everything that comes into its view.” St. John of Capistrano

His influence didn’t stop with just laypeople. Following a strict ascetism and more rigorous rule, he, along with St. Bernadine, reformed the Franciscan order to follow St. Francis of Assisi more fully. Several popes also sought his aid, being placed in charge of the Council of Florence, as well as fighting off several heresies of the time.

By 1453, Constantinople had fallen and Mohamed II threatened Christian Europe. Pope Callixtus III sent St. John to preach a crusade to defend against the Turks. At the age of 70, retirement not being something he believed in, he promptly followed the Pope’s wishes and began gathering soldiers for a crusade. Gathering a group of about 50,000 passionate, but poorly trained men, St. John, along with General John Hunyadi, led an army against the Turks. Literally leading his men into battle, invoking Jesus’s name throughout, yelling 

 they defeated a Turkish force that was ten times larger than their own, forcing a retreat, and saving Europe from an invasion.

Shortly after this historic victory, the fatigue of war and battle eventually caught up to him, and he fell victim to the plague and died in Croatia on October 23, 1456.

St. John of Capistrano performed his duties 110 percent, always exceeding expectations in everything he did. Never complaining and always accepting, he lived his life not for himself, but for God, completing whatever was asked of him.

May we capture some of that perfect obedience to God’s will that St. John possessed, doing whatever God asks of us and going wherever He leads us, no matter the cost.

“The Lord who made the beginning, will take care of the finish.” St. John of Capistrano

The Man Who Could Fill Stadiums ~ St. John of Capistrano

Fiery and passionate, witty and sarcastic, a pleasure-loving youth turned strict penitent, a reluctant priest who became the pope’s right-hand man and one of the largest contributors to Catholic theology and morality: St. Jerome.

St. Jerome was born in In 342 AD in Dalmatia-Croatia. His childhood is relatively unknown, except for the fact that his parents were well to do and Christian.

Once he became a teenager, Jerome was sent to Rome to further his studies and to pursue an education in law. Like a typical teen, he quickly lost all sense of morality. While he wasn’t studying, he chased many world pursuits and spent most of his time satisfying his own senses.

But after partaking in such activities, he always experienced severe bouts of guilt and would go visit the catacombs where he would envision himself in the darkness of hell in an attempt to try to deter himself from future sinful actions. For years, he was stuck in the struggle between living a life of sin and living for something more.

Eventually, he persevered and decided to give it his all, and, in the year 364, at 22 years old, Jerome decided to convert to Christianity. He made up for lost time by studying at the famous schools of Trier and learning side by side with saints Chromatius and Heliodorus.

“There are things in life that are bigger than ourselves. Life is short, live it well.” ~ St. Jerome

During his studies, he spent a lot of time visiting cities and places of religious significance, including many of the places where Christ Himself walked in Palestine, as well as many great Greek cities.

After extensive studies, he spent 4 years living as a desert hermit, purging himself of worldly desires, spending time in the desert with nothing but wild beasts and scorpions. There he learned and perfected his ways of asceticism to make reparation for sins of his youth and to fully change his ways.

Following spending years in meditation and great penance, he roared upon the public scene with his many writings and letters and lectures, where he was known to possess a righteous anger and utilized sarcasm and wit to defeat men peddling heresies. He was known to be quick to anger and to be very passionate. Once he and St. Augustine (yes, that Augustine) even got in an argument and remained in heated disagreement, which eventually resolved itself.

Gaining in popularity, church officials petitioned him to become ordained as a priest, but he protested, preferring to remain living his monastic lifestyle. Eventually, he relented and became a priest, only on the condition that he didn’t have to practice public ministry so he could more freely practice his asceticism.

He then became the right-hand man of Pope Damsus, where he advised the Pope and helped him in his work. One of his greatest accomplishments was translating the Bible into Latin, which was a 15-year long task. He was also known for his writings of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of whom he rigorously defended her virginity, as well as singing the praises of practicing chastity and purity that was poorly followed in these days. While in Rome he preached and wrote frequently, and he especially appealed to the women of Rome, who wished to rid themselves of the hedonistic lifestyle that was prevalent at the time.

your good is better and your better is best.” ~ St. Jerome

After Pope Damsus’s death, St. Jerome rushed back to his much-loved hermit lifestyle, and founded a monastery in Bethlehem in the mid 380s. There he couldn’t quite escape involvement in Church matters, and fought several heresies and remained an arbitrator of theological arguments.

In one account, St. Jerome is said to be giving a lecture to his students in Bethlehem when a lion came limping towards him. While the others rightfully fled, the saint encouraged the lion to come. He examined its injured foot and extracted a thorn that he found in his paw. It’s said to be an example of supreme Christian charity, helping even your enemies, but also a lion symbolizes the way St. Jerome lived his life, strong and courageous, backing down for no one, and living nobly, with God as his one and only king.

On September 30th, 420, St. Jerome died in his monastery in Bethlehem, leaving behind a plethora of religious writings and leaving a large mark on Catholic history, being an instrumental piece, and was later recognized as a doctor of the church.

“Martyrdom does not consist only in dying for one’s faith. Martyrdom also consists in serving God with love and purity of heart every day of one’s life.” ~ St. Jerome

St. Jerome’s youth was spent in frivolous pursuits, living for fun, living for self, but then he made a choice: To give God his all, to live fully for Him, and that he did to the fullest extent. He became a lion for the faith and pounced at anyone who stood for evil. May we have the same courage and fortitude to chase what is good, to leave nothing on the table, to sacrifice our all for God.

A Lion of a Man ~ St. Jerome

A radical for the faith, she knew what was most important and lived like it.

“I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so not as to fear death. For those who live well in this world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious.” ~ St. Rose of Viterbo

St. Rose was born of poor and pious parents around the year of 1233 in Viterbo, Italy. Early on, she was known to have a great devotion to prayer and to aiding the poor.

When she was just 3 years old, one of her aunts had died. The family was gathered around her coffin mourning their loss, when Rose, grieved by her family’s sadness, walked up to her body, raised her eyes towards heaven, and prayed that God would bring her back to life. Placing her hand on her aunt’s body, she called her name and, immediately, her aunt opened her eyes and came back to life.

At the ripe age of 7, she was already known to have been practicing penance and kept a strict guard over her senses. When she was 10, Our Lady was said to have told Rose to join the Franciscan Third Order, which she promptly did, donning a simple habit and cord.

Three years later, reaching the rebellious teenage age, she began rebelling against the world and preaching publicly in the streets of her city about penance and turning to God. The people listened, and she began to gather quite a following. One time, while a great crowd gathered around her listening to her preach, the stone on which she was standing began to rise in the air and stayed elevated, as she continued to preach.

In 1250, having already deeply affected her local city, the nearby town of 

 was said to be in the grasps of a supposed sorceress, who had the town performing pagan practices. Rose, not allowing such immorality to exist so close to home, traveled to the town and attempted to convert the sorceress. After several failed attempts, she went for all the marbles. She asked the towns people to gather wood and build a pyre and stood in the middle, ordering them to light it ablaze.

And there she stood for 3 hours, singing the praises of God, completely unscathed by the fire. That quickly brought the entire town to the knees, including the sorceress, and they all converted back to Catholicism.

At the age of 18 in 1251, Rose died of a heart condition and her body remained incorrupt. Recent examinations show she died of a condition known as Cantrell’s Syndrome, which is a condition characterized by an enlarged heart.

Like Rose, may we stand for truth and disregard what the world may think, may we stand for God and disregard the flames of ridicule and insults and have total trust in Him, regardless of the consequences. May we love so large that our heart cannot handle it, may we love with the child-like love of St. Rose of Viterbo.

Sanctity does not have an age requirement ~ St. Rose of Viterbo

More Saints

The First Amongst Us ~ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)

The Man Who Could Fill Stadiums ~ St. John of Capistrano

A Lion of a Man ~ St. Jerome

Sanctity does not have an age requirement ~ St. Rose of Viterbo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

More Saints

The First Amongst Us ~ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)

The Man Who Could Fill Stadiums ~ St. John of Capistrano

A Lion of a Man ~ St. Jerome