Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

I have always possessed a healthy reverence for the saints. As a boy, I understood that we stood on the shoulders of those individuals whose witness supported and lived the faith before us. They shaped the world that surrounds us, and instilled a vision in our society for living Christianity.
 
Needless to say, it was a distinct privilege to be asked to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, honoring her 167 birthday (July 15, 1850). For Catholic Americans, she is one of the greats. What makes St. Frances Cabrini so special is that she was declared the first American saint. 
 
The shrine preserves the actual room of Mother Cabrini, as she patrolled the streets of Chicago and created some 67 institutions. The shrine chapel is absolutely beautiful. However, this was not the first time I visited it.
 
Many years ago when I was an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, I was the liaison to Cardinal George for Catholic hospitals. The shrine chapel, which is now surrounded by condominiums, was once the home of Columbus Hospital. This hospital, established by Mother Cabrini herself, served the poor and underprivileged first embodied by Italian immigrants, and then as time passed, the poor. 
 
Her story is interesting. Born in Italy, she suffered as a child, and was not thought to live past her adolescent years. But, God had a plan for Mother Cabrini, and she sought to serve Him in religious life. The name Xavier was given to her because of her love for the missions, and her desire to follow in the footsteps of the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier. 
 
Inspiring a number of women to form an order, she created the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Jesus. Never retreating from her idea to be a missionary to the Asian nations, she sought an audience with her bishop. He told her that she should go west rather than east, and serve the immigrant Italian community in the United States, which sought to create a better life for their families.
 
Religious take three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. Some may argue as to which is the most difficult of the three, but most religious would readily agree that obedience is the most difficult. One surrenders his or her will to that of a religious superior for the sake of the Church. It must have been difficult for Frances Cabrini to accept the challenge of the bishop and submit to his authority. 
 
There is a certain trust that saints have in God’s will, manifest through Church authorities and a willingness to be an instrument for His glory, and not for personal fame or gain. Yet, because of the faithfulness she had to the evangelical counsels, today we are the recipients of the work she performed in God’s name with the creation of hospitals, schools and outreach to the poor.
 
Today the shrine is preserved by the work of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Jesus, and the efforts of the rector, Father Ted Ploplis, a Chicago priest and longtime friend. The shrine is a sacred place where Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini laid her head in rest, and surrendered her soul to God. It needs to be preserved so that other generations will be inspired by her story, and seek to serve others obedient to the Church in the name of the Lord. 
 
The shrine stands as a witness to all those who live in this affluent community, that we can never forget the poor, because we are all called, like Mother Cabrini, to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the July 11, 2017 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.