Migrants and refugees
Mother Cabrini from the very origins of her mission chose to care for migrants and refugees.
Pope Leo XIII sent her from Italy to New York precisely to care for Italians who had immigrated to the United States. And so she did throughout her life, building hospitals, schools, orphanages for them.
In 1946 Pope Pius XII canonized St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and in 1950 proclaimed her “Heavenly Patroness of all Migrants.”
Even today, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus carry out the Cabrinian mission with migrants and refugees in many parts of the world.
In Australia for example, with the Cabrini Northcote - Asylum Seeker & Refugee Health Hub, a center that provides access to a range of health services for newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees. The Asylum Seeker & Refugee Health Hub (The Hub) was established in 2016 to provide comprehensive primary health care and specialized mental health services to asylum seekers who are not eligible for Medicare or who have Medicare but no income.
In Uganda, sisters have built several churches in Pagirinya refugee camp, which currently houses 32,000 refugees from South Sudan. There, the sisters carry out pastoral services in the different parish communities, regularly visit families, support the work of one of the camp's schools, and conduct training groups for refugee women, teaching them to sew or do other activities that enable them to support themselves.
In the United States, sisters work with refugees and migrants through two organizations called Cabrini Immigrant Services NYC and Cabrini Immigrant Services Dobbs Ferry.
These services provide clients with the means to deal with the challenges of life in a new country: teaching English, immigration issues, access to health care, education and employment. They also provide advocacy services, after-school homework sessions, and a range of parenting programs.
The Cabrini Mission Foundation in New York also carries out periodic fundraising campaigns to support the Missionaries' work with migrants and refugees. It also funds projects for migrants on the border with Mexico.
In Italy there are numerous activities being carried out with migrants in a parish in Palma di Montechiaro, Sicily, by a group of passionate young people led by a Cabrinian Lay Missionary. These are young people who arrive in Sicily after long and very difficult sea journeys. The welcoming and collaborative work of the young people from Palma di Montechiaro is really valuable and helps to make them feel at home after what they have experienced along the journey.
Social Services
Human dignity and the protection of the most vulnerable have always been foundational values of the Cabrinian mission.
For this reason, in all our missions, and in particular in Brazil, Argentina, Guatemala, Ethiopia, eSwatini and Uganda, we Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus carry out socio-educational activities for the human and integral development of vulnerable children, women, men and the elderly.
With the help of a network of lay collaborators and volunteers, we can bring concrete help to the local communities where we are missioning.
Cabrinian social pastoral activities include Centro da Juventude Santa Cabrini (Terezinha, Piauí, Brazil), Obra Social Santa Cabrini (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
In Guatemala in Managua, Zona 6 and Barcenas, many social activities are carried out especially with children, youth and the elderly in the area.
Also in the Holy Spirit Region, through Cabrini Ministries, We the Missionaries carry out projects to support the protection and development of families, training and empowerment courses for women in local communities. Also in Dubbo, Ethiopia, in collaboration with St. Mary's Hospital, we provide support and nutrition to a great many malnourished children in the Baby Jesus Center of Life.
