St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patroness of immigrants. St. Frances was born in Lombardi, Italy
in 1850. At the request of her Bishop,
she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor
children in schools and hospitals. Then at the urging of Pope Leo XIII she came
to the United States
to work among the Italian immigrants. This remarkable woman soon founded
schools, hospitals, and orphanages in this strange land and saw them flourish
in the aid of Italian immigrants and children. At the time of her death in
Chicago, Illinois on December 22, 1917, her institute numbered houses in
England, France, Spain, the United States, and South America. In 1946 she
became the first American citizen to be canonized when she was elevated to
sainthood by Pope Pius XII. Her Feast Day is November 13th.
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