The Foundation of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Thus we read in the Memoirs of the MSC Institute:
“In this township of Codogno, the Lord was arranging a small group of virgins, gathered around the Rev. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini who, full of zeal, felt moved by the liveliest desire to give life to a religious Institute, which, based on the total denial of itself, would draw from the Sacred Heart of Jesus that impulse of living faith and holy courage of which her soul was already full.” The holy project was illustrated to His Excellency Monsignor Gelmini, Bishop of Lodi, through the distinguished Monsignor Provost Antonio Serrati, to whom it was already known, and was not only welcomed with joy by the Bishop, but encouraged by promising his paternal support.
Monsignor Prevosto proposed a rented house in Via Garibaldi in Codogno, but Mother did not like it, nor did she consider it suitable for the foundation, and one fine day, when the rental of the house was about to be negotiated, our good Mother said to Monsignor Prevosto, “Go and see behind the church of Our Lady of Grace, who must be the Foundress of this Institute, and you will see a house suitable for the foundation and which it will be good to buy.”
Monsignor Prevosto went immediately the same day to the place indicated by our good Mother and saw only the old one of the Franciscan fathers suppressed under Napoleon in 1811. When he returned to Mother and explained the matter to her, “So much the better,” he said, “if it is an old convent, it is enough for me that it is leaning against the Church of Our Lady of Grace, do all the paperwork at once as prudently as possible, so that no one realizes what the house will be used for, otherwise the price would rise too high.”
November 14: The dawn of this long-awaited and memorable day for the Institute finally dawned, and it is difficult to say with what holy exultation we greeted it, being able to finally gather in this house under the maternal guidance of our venerable Founding Mother, with the wise direction of the Most Illustrious Prevosto, Antonio Serrati, and the paternal protection of our beloved Bishop, Monsignor Gelmini. It seemed to each of us to be on the threshold of Paradise when we entered this house, the goal and fulfillment of all our vows and desires.”
From the booklet “Cabrinian Places”
Codogno: the Cradle of the Institute
The cradle of the Institute of Missionary Sisters is in Codogno, in the province of Lodi, Italy. It is also a well-established work where many of the Institute's initiatives have been implemented, including:
- A House of Prayer
- A residence for the elderly
- A Center of Spirituality
This is our beginning, our foundation, where we began as a congregation. This Cabrini Museum houses many artifacts from the life of Mother Cabrini.
Visit the website: www.museocabriniano.it.
As you walk around the museum , you may find yourself transported to the distant countries that Cabrini visited, or perhaps, you may gain insight into the person of Frances Cabrini through her Missionary Travels.
If you stop in the room adjacent to the museum, you can take the time to kneel and say a prayer, feeling the presence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mother Cabrini.
Today you can also virtually visit the Codogno Museum. Click here and start your visit!
Birthplace of Francesca Cabrini
You can also visit Francesca Cabrini's Birthplace in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, a small town in the province of Lodi, in Italy.
The Birth House is a place rich in memory and spirituality, where you can discover the roots of Little Maria Francesca' love for the Heart of Jesus and the mission, through the discovery of the history of her large Cabrini family.
In the Birth House Museum, there are now several personal items and historical documents of the Saint, which help to trace her extraordinary life and mission across the oceans.
Visit the Birth House website:
www.santacabrinicasanatale.com.
