Have you been to Mother Cabrini Shrine lately? Come and celebrate Cabrini Day with us! On Monday, October 2nd, we will have a special Cabrini Day Mass at 12 noon in our newly renovated chapel. This is a great opportunity to attend Mass, walk the steps, visit our gift shop, light a candle in the grotto chapel, and spend some time on the beautiful
grounds that honor Mother Cabrini and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Mother Cabrini dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick, immigrants, and those in most need. Her story is rich with determination and grit and an unshakable faith in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Cabrini Day is about her story, and we are eager for people to continue to learn of it and be inspired by her life and all that she accomplished.
In March of 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law HB 1031 establishing Frances Xavier Cabrini Day as a Colorado State Holiday. It is the first paid holiday in the nation that recognizes a woman, and is observed on the first
Monday in October.
Chapel Dedication
With great joy and gratitude, we will celebrate the rededication of our chapel following the remodel and renovations that have taken place over the last ten months.
The chapel will be rededicated on Saturday, November 18 at 4:00 p.m. Fr. John Lager, OFM Cap. has been granted a special mandate to perform the rededication since neither Archbishop Aquila or Bishop Rodriguez are available.
We look forward to a wonderful week of celebrations starting with the Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on November 13, the Gala on November 17, and the chapel dedication on November 18th.
Thanks to Guadalupe Province Newsletter for this article
What is St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Day? A look into the history behind the holiday (KRDO.com)
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – If you walked into a government building Monday, October 2, you would have been met with signs saying they’re closed due to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. While the holiday has been around for a couple of years, many still don’t know the history behind it. The legal holiday, Cabrini Day, was created to replace Columbus Day (the second Monday in October). House Bill 20-1031 created the new holiday and was passed by the legislature on March 10, 2020, and signed into law by Governor Polis just 10 days later. Cabrini Day is the first state-paid holiday to recognize a woman in the nation. “She came to America in the early 1900s to help ease suffering and help her community here in Colorado. She was asked here to Denver to start helping to found orphanages and care centers and to bring healing and help to Coloradans,” said Dianne Archuleta, the director of the El Pueblo History Museum. Archuleta said Colorado is one of many states moving away from honoring Christopher Columbus. “We’re trying to move away from exalting him as opposed to actually reading the history books and finding out what his impact was on the lives of Native Americans in the United States. And it wasn’t helping people or others. It was more along the lines of genocide and enslavement and some of the first human trafficking that we saw happening on this continent was thanks to him,” said Archuleta. RELATED: Pueblo City Council votes to not put future of Columbus statue in the hands of voters RELATED: Protests call for removal of Columbus statue in Pueblo Despite the change, some people in Pueblo plan to celebrate Columbus Day. Order of the Sons of Italy told KRDO that they’re still going to celebrate him next week at his monument on Abriendo Ave. in Pueblo.
What is Mother Cabrini Day in Colorado? (Cbs news)
Monday, Oct. 2 is Frances Xavier Cabrini Day in Colorado, observed on the first Monday in October. The holiday replaced Columbus Day, the second Monday in October. when the Colorado Legislature passed Frances Xavier Cabrini House Bill 20-1031 on March 10, 2020. Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law 10 days later, establishing it as a Colorado State Holiday, the first paid state holiday in the nation that recognizes a woman. Mother Cabrini died in 1917 in Chicago and was canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII. She is the patron saint of immigrants. Cabrini was dedicated to helping the poor and sick. She had a significant impact on the lives of those less fortunate and was considered a “mother to the masses” according to cabriniday.com In 1889, she went to New York to help the thousands of Italian immigrants already in the United States and organized catechism and education classes for the immigrants. Cabrini began traveling around the world for requests to open schools. Over the course of her life, she established 67 institutions including schools, hospitals and orphanages. In 1910, she purchased land on Lookout Mountain where she built a convent and a camp for orphan girls. Now that site in Golden is the Mother Cabrini Shrine , dedicated to honoring her life and features a newly-renovated chapel. Today, the Missionary Sisters continue Cabrini’s work and dedication to the sick and the poor on six continents and 15 countries around the world.
Mother Cabrini Shrine to celebrate day commemorating patron saint of immigrants (Cbs news)
As Colorado continues to see an influx of migrants, the state celebrates a new figure in place of Christopher Columbus. In 2020, Gov. Jared Polis replaced Columbus Day with Cabrini Day, in honor of Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Catholic patron saint of immigrants. “Oh my gosh, blessed. The first woman in Colorado and USA, so we are more than happy to have her, and have a holiday for her,” said Luz Maria Villa, congregation member at the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Cabrini Day, which falls on the first Monday in October, is the first paid state holiday in the country honoring a woman. “Mother Cabrini was a remarkable woman. She had so much determination and so much grit and so much faith, that’s what fueled her. She helped so many people during her lifetime, especially immigrants and children,” said Joann Seaman, executive director at the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Italian-born Cabrini worked to help the poor, the sick, and immigrants across the world. In 1910, she purchased land on Lookout Mountain in Colorado, where she built a convent and a camp for orphan girls. “There’s just this beautiful oasis so close to the city,” said Seaman. Today, that site is home to a shrine in her honor, and a newly renovated chapel. “There are 373 steps that lead up to the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the top of the hill, along with prayer gardens, meditation, and chapels,” said Seaman. “The Spanish community feels so welcome in this beautiful place, in this holy place,” said Villa. The Mother Cabrini Shrine holds a Spanish mass every week, and welcomes those from all walks of life. “People just flock to the shrine for this two o’clock mass on Sunday. And I believe its cause Mother Cabrini is the patroness of immigrants and she cared for them and she loved them and they know that and they know they’re welcome here,” said Seaman. “I’m from Mexico so I’m an immigrant. And she’s everything for us. Everything we ask to her, she answers,” said Villa. The Mother Cabrini Shrine will be celebrating Cabrini Day Monday with a noon mass.