The Story of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Coming to Theaters
“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” (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini).
Photo courtesy of Angel Studios
In a world filled with repetitive advertisements and captivating visuals at our fingertips, it’s easy to remember commercials or movie previews that stand out, especially ones that are in line with our moral compass. It was several months ago that I recall seeing a larger-than-life movie promotion featuring Italian actress Cristiana Dell’Anna as Francesca Xavier Cabrini, or Mother Cabrini.
A Larger-Than-Life Film About a Life Fully Lived
What initially caught my eye was the name I knew so well from studying and admiring the saints: Cabrini. I was taken aback by the fact that there would be a film of this size featuring our Catholic faith at the forefront, sharing the life and work of America’s first saint who lived solely for the betterment of the poor. A working woman and mother to thousands of orphans, Mother Cabrini is an example for women of today to never lose hope, no matter what obstacles we may face. How fitting that her film’s opening date is International Women’s Day.
The movie opens in a dark and cloudy New York City, where a young boy runs through the streets pushing an old, rotten wooden cart. We assume at first that he is pushing the cart as part of a job. Several minutes in, it becomes apparent that the cart isn’t to hold food or supplies; he is using it to transport his mother. The young boy of Italian descent enters an American hospital to cry out for help in Italian for his dying mother, whom he had to leave out in the street.
This heart-wrenching opening scene brings tears to the viewer’s eyes and paints the picture of life in America as a poor immigrant in late-19th-century New York City. City workers take the boy’s mother away from him, and he is left all alone to fend for himself. I’m a mother myself, so this scene made me reach for my tissue box with its relatable depiction of the bond of mother and child.
The film continues in Italy, introducing us to Mother Cabrini, clothed in a beautiful black dress and habit, along with her fellow Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Early on, we see flashbacks to her childhood that show us she has suffered from poor health. Scenes involving her request to the Vatican to go to China to work as a missionary with the poor and orphans show her unparalleled determination and grit for doing what is right, no matter the circumstance. Initially, her request has been denied, but she insists on speaking directly with Pope Leo XIII. He tells her to go to New York to help orphans there—and it is at that moment that life changed for so many children in need in America.
Experiencing the Cross
Throughout the film, Mother Cabrini faces obstacles, hardships, and discrimination for being Italian and a woman. She is denied multiple requests in her mission to save orphans and establish a hospital to serve immigrants. She repeatedly seeks out people in need, even crawling into sewer drains to find abandoned children, and viewers can feel the heartache and pain that Mother Cabrini felt and faced at every turn.
Although the film was accurate in terms of the events of her beautifully selfless life, as a practicing Catholic, I felt there wasn’t enough focus on her love of the Lord or how devoted she was to living sacrificially through prayer and virtue. It’s implied indirectly in one brief scene, as she is shown sitting in a chapel, and through one mention of scripture (Philipians 4:13). It’s implied that Mother Cabrini is pious and devout as a religious sister, but I would have liked to have seen it portrayed on screen more. Nevertheless, my heart felt full after I watched Cabrini and the visuals it gives the life story of a saint I admire and adore.
I recommend this film for Catholic businesswomen not only because St. Cabrini is a saint to call upon for intercession in all business decisions but because it puts so much into perspective. As leaders and decision-makers in any line of business, our main focus is often a bigger picture or our profit. It’s so easy to forget the moments when we struggled, gave everything we had, or failed all together. A story like St. Cabrini’s reminds us not only that hard work pays off but that taking time to feel a cross (or crosses) during our labors makes the journey more fulfilling.
The Lord wants us to feel, to love, and to fail, in order to grow closer to Him. Watching the life of St. Cabrini on screen brings to life pure examples of a life fully lived in difficult yet beautiful moments. We can all take away the lesson that in order to be saints, we must continue to do little things, even through difficulty, with tremendous heart, grit, and faith in the Lord.
Christina Sabo is the director of marketing and communications for Catholic independent school Mount de Sales Academy. She is also the social media manager for Catholic Women in Business and owns her own creative agency, Paloma & Fig, supporting Catholic businesses in public relations and graphic design. Christina resides in Macon, Georgia, and strives to take in every moment of the day with a joyful heart. Her favorite pastimes are spending time in the great outdoors with her family, writing, learning about the lives of the saints, and sipping a strong cup of coffee. You can find Christina on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.