Daily Verse

“I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4,13

The life of St. Frances:

Francesca Cabrini was born in Italy in 1850, the tenth of thirteen children in Agostino and Stella's family, wealthy cherry tree farmers. Of the thirteen siblings, only four survive beyond their teen years. 

Francesca is a rather small and weak child, being prematurely born, and her health remains delicate all throughout her 67 years of life. As it is commonly the case in saints background, Francesca's parents are very pious. But her true role models are her elder sister, Rosa, and her maternal uncle, Father Luigi. 

The little girl knows very early that she is called to serve the Lord through missionary service: it is said that when she goes to visit her uncle Luigi, who lives next to a canal, she would make small boats out of paper, drop flowers in them, call the flowers "missionaries", and launch the boats to sail off to India and China. 

Quote by St. Frances

The impressions of childhood are never obliterated

Several decades before the child psychologists began to fathom the incredible impact of childhood experiences, whether positive or adverse, on the development of the child, Mother Frances Cabrini knew. What secret traumas did she carry from that period that deeply affected her, we don't really know. Was it the death of her siblings? Was it the political ideology of mid-19th century Italy, marked by a severe repression of the influence of the Church and religious education? Whatever it was, the impressions of her childhood were never obliterated.

Prayer: 

Loving Father,
In your infinite compassion,
we seek your divine protection for refugee children who are often alone and afraid.
Provide solace to those who have been witnesses to violence and destruction,
who have lost parents, family, friends, home, and all they cherish due to war or persecution.
Comfort them in their sorrow, and bring help in their time of need.
Show mercy to unaccompanied migrant children, too, Lord.
Reunite them with their families and loved ones.
Guide those children who are strangers in a foreign land to a place of peace and safety.
Comfort them in their sorrow, and bring help in their time of need.
Show us how we might reach out to these precious and vulnerable children.
Open our hearts to migrant and refugee children in need,
so that we might see in them your own Son.
Give us the courage to stand up in their defense against those who would do them harm.
For this, we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Pictures: 

1) Colored paper boats on the water - CC0.

2) Frances at the age of 10 - CC0.