Discover the Unexpected: Top 11 Fun and Fascinating Facts About St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

1. Frequent Flyer Saint

If St. Frances Xavier Cabrini were alive today, she might have considered adding "frequent flyer" to her long list of accomplishments: this tenacious trailblazer traversed the Atlantic a whopping 24 times, founding 67 institutions like schools, hospitals, and orphanages across various countries, all in the name of charity. Her extraordinary efforts didn't go unnoticed by Pope Pius XII, who crowned her devout dedication with sainthood in 1946.
Source => cabrini.edu

2. Hogwarts Meets Humanitarian

Who needs an acceptance letter from Hogwarts when you can just create your own magical organization?: Frances Xavier Cabrini, initially turned down by not just one but two religious orders for her weak health, brewed up the perfect potion for success by founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 30, going on to conjure schools, orphanages, hospitals, and charitable agencies across nine countries, earning herself the title of Patron Saint of Immigrants and a revered spot in the hallowed halls of humanitarian achievements.
Source => cogreatwomen.org

Did you know George Washington's famous dentures were far from wooden? Discover the surprising materials used in his peculiar pearly whites!

=> Fun Facts about George-Washington

3. Original Energizer Bunny

They say she was the original Energizer bunny, even out-traveling frequent flyers everywhere: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini crossed the Atlantic Ocean 24 times, becoming the first American saint and establishing schools and orphanages for struggling immigrant communities in the process.
Source => neh.gov

4. Humanitarian Empire Builder

If Mother Cabrini were a frequent flyer, she'd surely have racked up some serious air miles: with 24 trans-Atlantic crossings and the establishment of 67 institutions worldwide, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus didn't just build a legacy – they built a bonafide humanitarian empire.
Source => cabrini.edu

5. Mother Cabrini's UES Chronicles

Who needs Gossip Girl when you have Mother Cabrini's Upper East Side chronicles: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini originally bought the plot for The Shrine of St. Frances Cabrini in 1899 to establish a posh boarding school for elite young ladies. But worry not – Mother Cabrini used the tuition fees collected to generously fund orphanages and free schools for the less fortunate, making good on her mission to aid immigrants and the underprivileged.
Source => cabrinishrinenyc.org

6. Cherry Turnover to Fortune Cookie

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Patron Saint of Immigration, surprisingly had more in common with cherry turnovers than fortune cookies: born as a premature cherry farmer's daughter, she dreamt of being a missionary in China but ended up making a lasting impact in America instead. Despite being denied entry to a religious order due to chronic health issues, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, established schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the United States and around the world, becoming the first naturalized American citizen to be canonized a saint.
Source => go.nd.edu

7. Mother of Milestones

If St. Frances Xavier Cabrini were alive today, she'd probably be an absolute frequent flyer champ and a travel blog sensation, all while outpacing Energizer Bunny with her compassion: This Mother of Milestones traversed the Atlantic 23 times to set up a whopping 67 houses across the globe, easing the lives of Italian immigrants with her schools, orphanages, and hospitals, ultimately gathering over 1,500 sisters under her unrelenting wings of care.
Source => americamagazine.org

8. Frail Health, Fruitful Foundations

When life gives you frail health, make fruitful foundations: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini defied her weak constitution by establishing her own religious order – the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – forging a global legacy of schools, hospitals, and orphanages, all while redirecting her missionary GPS from China to the United States by Papal intervention!
Source => cabrini.edu

9. Saintly Multitasking Queen

You know how some people have a knack for multitasking? St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was basically the saintly queen of efficiency extraordinaire: She founded a whopping 67 institutions across North and South America and Europe, including the Assumption School in Chicago to help impoverished Italian immigrants and Columbus Hospital where she eventually passed away—earning her the heavenly kudos of being the first U.S. citizen to score sainthood status in 1946.
Source => chicagomag.com

10. Heavenly Chef

Move over, Chef Boyardee! There's a saint in the kitchen who's got you beat in more ways than one: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, despite her own fragile health, would personally cook meals for the Italian immigrant community in New York and lug heavy loads of food up and down countless flights of stairs to ensure no hungry belly was left unattended.
Source => cabrini.edu

11. American Saint Celestial Party

Who said becoming a saint was a piece of heavenly cake? St. Frances Xavier Cabrini proved it is possible to be both saintly and American: the first U.S. citizen to score a sainthood, her canonization in 1946 drew a celestial crowd of 120,000 faithful followers in Chicago's Soldier Field. Now, we celebrate her divine achievements on November 13th as the Universal Patroness of Immigrants – talk about being the ultimate guardian angel!
Source => archchicago.org