Do you know about Mother Cabrini’s Colorado connections?
DENVER (KDVR) — A new movie about Frances Xavier Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini, is in theaters now, and the saint has several connections to Colorado.
According to IMDB, the “Cabrini” movie follows the Italian immigrant as she embarks on a journey to persuade the hostile mayor of New York to provide housing and health care to hundreds of orphaned children.
The movie is rated PG-13 and is playing in select theaters.
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Before you go and catch the film, did you know Mother Cabrini has a shrine in Jefferson County?
History of Mother Cabrini
In 1889, Mother Cabrini moved from Italy to New York where she helped immigrants and established schools and orphanages.
Soon, she was requested to open schools all over the U.S. and the world. According to Cabrini University, she made 24 trans-Atlantic crossings and established 67 institutions: schools, hospitals, and orphanages.
Mother Cabrini “dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick, immigrants and those less fortunate. Her story is rich with determination, grit and an unshakeable faith in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” said the Mother Cabrini Shrine on their website.
She died on Dec. 22, 1917, in Chicago. In 1946, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XII in recognition of her holiness and service to mankind.
Colorado’s Mother Cabrini Shrine
Mother Cabrini’s impact was felt all over the U.S., including Colorado.
According to historians, she loved the Colorado mountains, especially the foothills west of Denver. During her visits to Italian workers and families living in the Clear Creek, Argentine and South Park mining districts, Mother Cabrini discovered an area on the east slope of Lookout Mountain in Golden.
According to the Mother Cabrini Shrine, she purchased the property and built a summer camp for young girls at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage in Denver. However, there was no reliable water source for them.
All the water that was needed for drinking and cooking had to be brought up the mountain from a stream at the bottom of Mt. Vernon Canyon.
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According to the shrine, in 1912 the orphanage’s sisters complained to Mother Cabrini that they were dying of thirst.
She answered, “Lift that rock over there and start to dig. You will find water fresh enough to drink and clean enough to wash.”
Since then, the spring has been housed in an 8,000-gallon tank and has never stopped running.
Those who head to Golden can visit the spring house, the shrine and the ground in which Mother Cabrini built her camp. There is also a replica grotto of Lourdes, France where many come to pray.
Cabrini Day celebrations in Colorado
On the first Monday of October, Colorado observes Cabrini Day. The day is a Colorado state holiday that honors the humanitarian.
Supporters of Cabrini Day work to unite Colorado through kindness, compassion, and community-centered activities. Those interested can visit the Cabrini Day website to learn more about the 2024 events.
Now that you know more about the local connection Colorado has to Mother Cabrini, you can head to the theaters to learn another part of her story.
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