JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

WORLD DAY OF PEACE

JANUARY 1, 2021

"There can be no peace without a culture of care."

....Pope Francis

Now the Work of Christmas Begins

~ by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with their flocks,

the work of Christmas begins:

to find the lost,

to heal the broken,

to feed the hungry,

to release the prisoner,

to rebuild the nations,

to bring peace among the people,

to make music in the heart.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your donations to the Shrine during 2020. Your contributions are very important to us as it sustains our commitment to serve the Shrine community. You are the heart of the mission. Our masses, private prayer, and spiritual guidance would not be possible without your act of generosity. We appreciate your heartfelt dedication. May God reward you!

Wishing you and yours a healthy, peaceful, happy and blessed 2021.

God Bless You.

Sister Bridget Zanin, MSC

Executive Director

"DREAMING OF A SINGLE HUMAN FAMILY"

WEBINAR SERIES ON IMMIGRATION

SAVE THE DATE!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021

9:00 am MST

10:00 am CST

11:00 am EST

“Themes from the Life and Spirituality of Mother Cabrini.

Patroness of Immigrants”

Sponsored by:

The National Shrine

of St. Frances X. Cabrini,

Chicago, IL

in collaboration with

The Cabrini Retreat Center,

Des Plaines, IL

Presenters:

Nicholas Rademacher, PhD

Dr. Rademacher is professor and chair of Religious Studies at Cabrini University. His teaching and scholarship focus on historical and contemporary expressions of Catholicism in the United States. Dr. Rademacher earned his PhD at the Catholic University of America. A published author of journals and books, he serves as Vice President of the American Catholic Historical Society and recently completed service on the historical commission for cause for canonization of Fr. William Atkinson, OSA.

Michelle Sherman, MA

Michelle Sherman is the Campus Minister for Retreats at Villanova University. A former Cabrini Mission Corps missioner at Mother Cabrini H.S. in NYC, she is honored to contribute to this important Cabrini series. She holds a BA in Humanistic Studies from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN; a MA in Theology and Certification in Lay Ministry from Villanova University; and Certification in Spiritual Direction from the Cranaleith Spiritual Center.

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming webinars in February and March 2021.

A Message From Our Rector

Many prayer-writers attempt to capture prayerful living in the moment with slight glances to the past and to the future. Edith Stein, PhD, sought truth and Truth itself; Edith found both in the Catholic Church after reading the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. Edith was baptized on New Year’s Day in 1922. Among many writings, her doctoral thesis on empathy, as one writer suggests, provides her core insight that empathy awakens human relationship along with responsibility. And without that interior empathy for others, humans easily become expendable. Empathy lies within the power of the cross for Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

When the Nazis in Holland arrested all Catholics of Jewish extraction, Edith, then Sister Teresa Benedicta, OCD, joined 1,000s of others on the cattle-train box cars for the four-day transport to Auschwitz, and then murdered on August 9, 1942. Witness never to be forgotten, Pope John Paul II canonized Sister Teresa on October 11, 1998.

As this most unusual year ends, beginning a new one, I thought of Edith’s prayer in Paths to Interior Silence. As I reflect, I added year for this year we must place in God’s hands. Insights will emerge for each one; for each culture; for each nation. May empathy awaken the essentials of relationship and our responsibility for each other.

A Look at the Day (and the Year)

"God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need. Then the rest of the day (year) can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over the day (the year) and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is; put it in God's hands and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him - really rest - and start the next day (year) as a new life."

Plan A Tour To The Shrine

Part of what makes the Shrine so special is greeting visitors from all walks of life and from all over the world. Whether they come because of their deep devotion to Mother Cabrini, their history with Columbus Hospital or their interest in learning about the compelling First American Citizen Saint that lived, worked and died in Chicago, they all delight in the unique and sacred experience of visiting and touring the Shrine.

Currently we are offering docent led tours with groups of 10 people or less that covers Mother Cabrini's life, history of Columbus Hospital (1 of 67 institutions of care Mother Cabrini founded), as well as the breathtaking architecture of the Chapel and what the Missionary Sisters are currently doing around the world.

We are following mandated guidelines to provide a safe space for those attending mass, private prayer and touring the Shrine. These guidelines will be sent to you upon booking your tour. For more information call: 773-360-5115 or email: admin@cabrininationalshrine.org