In March, the State of Colorado designated the first Monday in October to be Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. The Federal Government still recognizes the second Monday as Columbus Day and a Federal Holiday. Mayor Nick Gradisar issued the following statement in a press release: “I want to recognize those early Pueblo-Italian families who fought fo...
READ MOREShe was an Italian immigrant, a loving servant of those in need and the very first American saint, who also happened to walk the streets of Colorado. And now, to recognize the inimitable legacy she left behind in the Centennial State, she has a day named in her honor. Each year in Colorado, the first Monday of October – Oct. 5 this year – will henc...
READ MORESince 1938, visitors have flocked to the mountains just west of Golden to learn about and pay tribute to Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Catholic saint who established 67 schools, hospitals and orphanages around the U.S., including in Colorado. Now, the rest of the state is about to become more familiar with Cabrini as well, as a result of the Colorado...
READ MORESince their large-scale influx from the homeland in the late 19th century, Italian Americans have rendered their distinct pattern on the cultural fabric with their food, fashions, expressions and mores. Many have gone on to prominence in sports, academia and public service, overcoming perceptions of their limitations along the way, while a select f...
READ MOREThe owners of Nannie Franco's Pizza decided to remove the mural of former mayor Frank Rizzo of Philadelphia from the side of their building. As their new project is being funded by online fund-seeking to replace the mural, we would like to step in and make a suggestion to paint a mural of Mother Cabrini. Mother Cabrini, the saint of immigrants, is...
READ MOREThis interview with Charles Marsala, who is bringing great news to the world of the Italian American community in New Orleans and throughout the South East, was done right before the coronavirus pandemic broke out in Italy, and then a couple of weeks before it also arrived in the United States. It is therefore a picture of the world before the coro...
READ MOREMother Cabrini opened an orphanage in the French Quarter in 1892 As a Yellow Fever Epedemic was leaving many orphans in New Orleans, Mother Cabrini arrived. In 1904, she received $75,000.00 from Captain Salvatore Pizzati to build a new orphange which is became Cabrini High School in 1959. Records show that 7,849 people died in New Orleans in 1853 d...
READ MOREColorado is one pen stroke away from abolishing Columbus Day. The state legislature gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that would replace Columbus Day with a new state holiday, on the first Monday of October, in honor of Frances Xavier Cabrini. It is believed that the proposed Cabrini Day would be the first paid state holiday recognizing a woman...
READ MOREEvery workday, facilities manager Tom Francis starts his morning the same way. He enters the chapel at Mother Cabrini Shrine on Lookout Mountain, turns on the lights and addresses a statue of the shrine’s namesake. “I tell her, ‘OK boss, this is your place. I’m just a pair of hands. You need to help me or we won’t be able to be here for those who c...
READ MOREA bill that would abolish Columbus Day in Colorado and replace the holiday to honor another Italian pioneer is advancing at the state Capitol. The bill passed the state House and will move to the state Senate. Supporters claim Columbus committed crimes against humanity and should not be honored. Instead, they want to create Cabrini Day to recognize...
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