Cabrini, Saint Frances Xavier << kuh BREE nee, saynt FRAN sihs ZAY vih ur >> (1850-1917), was the first United States citizen to be made a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. She was canonized (declared a saint) in 1946. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named her the patron saint of emigrants.
Maria Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in Lombardy, Italy, the 13th and youngest child of a farmer. Early in her life, she wanted to be a missionary in China. She was trained to be a schoolteacher. In 1877, Cabrini took religious vows and added Xavier to her name. When she was 30, she established the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an order originally formed for the instruction of poor children.
In 1889, Cabrini came to the United States, where she immediately displayed the courage, hope, vision, and endurance of a pioneer. She lived in New York City and Chicago, and traveled in Latin America. She and her followers opened many charitable institutions, including orphanages, schools, and free clinics. She founded Columbus Hospital in New York City in 1892 and Columbus Hospital in Chicago in 1905. In 1909, she became a U.S. citizen. She died in Chicago on Dec. 22, 1917.
Four miracles were credited to her from the time she died until she was canonized. Her feast day is November 13. She is buried at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City.
