Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini crossed oceans to spread the Gospel and serve the poor. She also wrote oceans of letters to her religious sisters as she travelled all over the globe.
Frances suffered from health problems all her life. Despite her many limitations, she bravely faced persecution, poverty, and dangerous sea voyages to establish new schools and orphanages for her religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. To keep in contact with her spiritual daughters throughout her many journeys, she constantly corresponded with her sisters.
Mother Cabrini's letters have long been out of print in English, and this selection of her correspondence introduces modern readers to Cabrini's many gifts. Through her letters, we learn about her meetings with popes and bishops, as well as her encounters with ordinary people in
Argentina, England, France, Nicaragua, Spain, and the United States. She vividly describes the sights and sounds she encountered during her travels to great cities and remote villages, including several experiences in which she came close to death. She demonstrates her business acumen, her innate leadership abilities, and her perseverance during the trials of establishing a religious congregation. She shows her sensitivity to her sisters' needs, as well as her willingness to confront them about their failings.
But above all, Frances Cabrini was a saint. Through her letters, we can become acquainted with a truly holy 20th century woman. Her writings display her spiritual depth, her personal love for the Lord, and even her favorite saints. Her greatest desire in life was to be a missionary sister: a woman who spread the Good News of Jesus Christ all over the world. In this goal, she was wildly successful. She always attributed her accomplishments to God through the Scripture passage she quoted most often: I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.
