Journeying With The Saints

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims. Last time, we read Part One of Chapter 14 and today we will read the second half. I mentioned last time that this was awesome for me to read, as I was just at Mother Cabrini's Shrine in Golden, Colorado.  I think you will like today's reading; it has interesting bits of information about the conditions of the people in Colorado. After our reading, I will give my reflection, as this is the end of a letter. Let's go ahead and open our books to page 290 and start where it says “The diocese of Denver…” 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. I'm glad to have you with me.  So, today, we are reading a letter that Mother Cabrini wrote to her daughters filling them in on the inauguration of the house in Denver. So, the Mother Cabrini Shrine right outside Denver is what she is referring to and it's what I talked about yesterday in Episode 99.  I recently visited the Mother Cabrini Shrine and it is the site of the school and house that she started there. Like I said yesterday, it's a very special place and if you get the chance, you should definitely go see it.  So, since this is a longer letter, we are going to break it up. Today, we will read Part One. Tomorrow, we will read Part Two. For today, we will start on page 285 and read to near the end of 290.  Let's go ahead and get started by turning to page 285. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back to the last reading from this voyage. This is actually the last letter we are going to read that is designated as being on a voyage from one place other than another.  Mother Cabrini is going to talk a lot about obedience. It's something the Saints bring up pretty frequently. Humility and obedience are two of the virtues that Saints talk about all the time and it makes sense as they go hand-in-hand.  This particular letter, also, is incomplete, but we will end it and have a short reflection from me.  Let's open to page 281.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims.  Fog has rolled in and the doctor on board feels terrible with seasickness. Mother Cabrini is not a sailor, she is an old pro on the sea. In fact, she's told us many times that she feels best when on the sea, which is interesting for someone with a fear of water.  Let's join her on this foggy day by turning to page 280.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Good to have you with me today.  After a short stop at a port in Ireland, Mother Cabrini is off to New York. Some of her Sisters fall ill to seasickness and, man, do I get that.  My family went to Catalina Island one year for our anniversary and you have to ride a boat to get there. So, we left the small port in LA and off we went. It's about a 40-minute ride. Well, I was super worried that I was going to get sea sick, so I had heard that peppermint oil can help stave if off. There I was with my bottle of essential oil, just sniffing away at it. Whether it tricked my mind or it really worked, I didn't get sea sick.  I even shared it with some other passengers. I wish I could give some to the poor Sisters in our reading today.  It's a longer letter, so lets go ahead and get started. Please turn to page 274.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  Mother is in London and it just so happens that she is there right at the time when the ceremony for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra is about to take place. Their coronation took place on August 9th, 1902, so you can see that she was there just days before. Naturally, the city of London is full of people.  King Edward and Queen Alexandra are the parents of King George VI who came after them. And, as we all know, King George VI was the father of Queen Elizabeth II who died three years ago at the time of this recording. She died in 2022. It's crazy to think that much time has already passed.  Anyway, we have a short reading today and let's begin by turning to page 273.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. It is time to travel with Mother Cabrini from London to New York.  Today, in the letter, Mother Cabrini is going to make mention of persecutions happening in France to Catholics. I'm really only familiar with the French Revolution and the persecutions that happened then, but it's 1902 in our reading for today. So, it can't be the French Revolution.  I went to look it up. Yes, between the years of 1900-1906, there was intense persecutions in France targeting the Catholic Church and specifically religious orders. It stems from a law passed in 1900 called the Associations Law of 1901. This law, passed because secularism was on the rise and anti-clerical sentiment, severely restricted the activities of religious orders, including requiring them to register as associations and limiting their ability to operate schools and other institutions.  So, based off what I found in researching this, many Catholic schools and institutions were closed. The Jesuits were expelled because they are a teaching order in many ways and the State couldn't have that. I wanted to bring this to you attention so that you understand the context of today's letter. To be honest, the negative effects of the French Revolution and this persecution that Mother writes about can still be seen in France today.  Let's go ahead and open to page 271 and begin. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome!  So, we just finished up the voyage that brought Mother Cabrini to Buenos Aires and now we are starting one that takes her from Buenos Aires to Genoa.  It's August of 1901, so about nine months from when she landed. This is just one letter. It's unfinished, but there is only one date entry. That means we will read the whole thing today and then I'll give my reflection. That'll be the end of this voyage.  Mother Cabrini is going to talk about visiting a church called Our Lady of the Candelaria or more appropriately, La iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. It's in Rio de Janeiro. She talks about counting the candle sticks that are shaped like a pyramid. I went to go see if I could find pictures of the church and, sure enough, Mother Cabrini's description is spot on. I'll link it in the show notes.  So, let's get started by turning to page 265. Candelaria Church: https://www.candelariario.org.br/galeria-de-fotos/

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. We have a long reading today and it's also the end of a voyage…sort of. This letter and voyage are incomplete, so we never really hear about Mother Cabrini getting to Buenos Aires. Because it's the end, we also have my reflection.  We've got a lot to cover today, so let's get started by opening to page 258.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Today in our reading, it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1900.  Mother Cabrini has a lot to say about Our Blessed Mother Mary. It's always a good day to honor her and stand in awe that she is the Mother of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let's open to page 255 and begin. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Today is a super short reading and there's not too much to say.  So, let's jump right in by turning to page 255.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. We have a short reading today. Mother is sitting on the steamer near Cadiz, Spain, which is on the western side of Gibraltar. Malaga is on the eastern side, so that means that the steamer passed through the Straits of Gibraltar.  Mother Cabrini has a cold and she says she is curing it with milk. Tinned milk to be exact. I've never heard of that being a cure, but who knows.  Let's go ahead and open to page 254 and begin. 

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims. We are going to hear a lot about raisins today in our short reading.  Raisins are not my favorite and by that I mean I really can't stand them. My favorite comedian is Brian Regan and he has a skit on raisins which pretty much nails my feelings on the matter. I'll share the link in the show notes.  Anyway, this is a short and sweet reading, so let's get started by turning to page 254.    Brain Regan: Raisins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FQXVt4Ns-4

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims, and welcome back. As the steamer lifts anchor and begins the journey, Mother Cabrini has a bit of a reunion with two priests. At first, they don't quite recognize each other, but then the pieces start to fall into place.  One of the priests is the Provincial of the Scolopi in Buenos Aires. So, Scolopi is a Religious order, also known as the Piarists. Piarists are the oldest religious order dedicated to education, specifically to children and youth. This religious order was founded by St. Joseph Calasanz in Italy in 1617.   So, just a small history lesson for today. I was unsure of what Scolopi meant, so once I found out, I knew I had to share it with you to help today's reading make more sense.  With that, let's open to page 252 and begin. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims, to another day in the Mediterranean Sea with Mother Cabrini. Today, in the readings, it is the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. Mother is very excited to celebrate because St. Francis Xavier is who she modeled her name after. Remember, St. Francis Cabrini wanted to go to the East, like he did.  St. Francis Xavier was born on April 7th, 1506, so he was born 344 years before Mother Cabrini. He was Spanish and is one of the founders of the Jesuits. He was encouraged to become a priest by St. Ignatius of Loyola.  He was sent to India because Portugal was colonizing India and the Portuguese there were losing their faith or not living up to it. So, St. Francis Xavier went as the Papal Nuncio to India in 1541. It was not an easy time for him there. He had to deal with government officials that didn't like him being there. He was upset by the poor moral lives of many Catholics living in the area. And he had to build a lot of churches which wasn't easy. He died in China on December 3rd, 1552 from being ill with fever. He is buried in India.  He has a fascinating story as a missionary and he most definitely met with many struggles and hardships in his time. It's not surprising Mother Cabrini looks to him as a model to imitate as a missionary herself.  Let's hear about her time today as we turn to page 250.

Hello and welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Are you ready for another trip? This time, we are going from Genoa to Buenos Aires. Here we are in the year 1900. Think back to all Mother Cabrini has done in our time with her and we are just getting a taste of all her works through her letters. She did so much more than is written down here.  As we sail from the Northern Hemisphere to the South Hemisphere, we are going back to the mission field Mother Cabrini set up nearly four years ago in 1896.  So, let's join her now as she boards the Alphonsus XIII by turning to page 247.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims, to our last day of the this voyage from New York to Havre.  Maybe it's just me, but on this voyage, I wasn't really paying attention to the trip. Maybe it's because we've done the New York to Havre trip with Mother Cabrini already, but I almost forgot she was cruising across the Atlantic. Sure, there were the storms and wind and such, but I wasn't as keyed into that. It was more her thoughts. Anyway, this is one of the incomplete letters, so we won't get a report of entering the final port or a sign off. We will however get my thoughts at the end.  So, let's open to page 246 and see this voyage out. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims, to a beautiful day at sea with Mother Cabrini. In our reading for today, it is September 8th and that is the day that we celebrate Mary's birthday.  This got me thinking, “Why this day?” So, I went to look it up. I'll read for you an answer from Catholic Answers.  With all that, let's hear about Mary from Mother Cabrini by opening to page 244. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back to another day at sea where the steamer is rocking around. It's not because of the water today, but because of the wind.  Today, Mother is going to talk about grace. Grace was not something I understood until I became Catholic and started homeschooling my kids. The good ‘ole Baltimore Catechism teaches you all about grace. Essentially, grace is the Divine Life within you. There is Sanctifying Grace, Sacramental Grace, and Actual Grace. It is grace—the Divine Life—which enables us to do good things beyond the natural law.  Let's hear about grace and gratitude as we turn to page 243. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. We have a very short reading today as the sea is rocking so badly Mother Cabrini can't really do anything at all.  At one point, she calls a steward to ask if they should prepare for an emergency and he tells her in a calm and collected way to just ‘remain calm, everything is all right.”  It's a good thing she didn't get someone like me when she called because I would be freaking out. I'm not known for having a reassuring voice in intense times.  Let's go ahead and open our books to page 242. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Today, we will hear about how fog rolls in, the air grows cold, the steamer is rocking pretty substantially, and there is an air of nervousness throughout the steamer.  Mother takes this time to speak about being thankful to Jesus. Something I've really been trying to do is to thank God when I can see that a prayer has been answered. Oftentimes, we ask God for something, but we forget to thank Him. I've been trying really hard to remember to give thanks.  Let's see what is going on out in the fog near Newfoundland by turning to page 240.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  As we've traveled around with Mother Cabrini, you may have wondered how she handles leaving behind the things she has started up. How does she feel about starting something up and then leaving it in the care of others?  That takes a great amount of trust. I do think there are people who can handle starting something up and then once it's up and running, moving to the next thing. My husband is that way. I am not. But, each of us have our role to play.  Mother will share with us how she handles this in our reading today. So, let's turn to page 237. 

Welcome to our 10th voyage with Mother Cabrini, Catholic Pilgrims. This voyage is from New York to Havre. We've made this voyage with her before but that was a decade ago. She has grown wiser and more experienced. I suspect that will show up in her writings.  Mother is plain worn out as she boards the steamer for this trip and she falls asleep as soon as she waves goodbye. Let's join her leaving the port in New York, as we turn to page 235. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims, to the end of another voyage.  Though it is the end of the voyage, you will find that the letter is incomplete. We get no sign off as is typical of the other letters. Who can say why? Maybe the letter was destroyed or lost over time.  Anyway, it will end a bit abruptly. Obviously, Mother will have made it to New York, but we won't hear about that.  Since it is the end of a voyage, I'll be giving my reflection at the end. Let's open to page 231.   

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  It just dawned on me the other day that we started this book with Mother Cabrini in the year 1890 and now we are already in 1899. Nearly a whole decade has passed.  This writing during this voyage is very different. We only get small little snapshots about what is actually going on with the trip across the Atlantic. The rest of the time, Mother Cabrini is giving her Daughters the back story of what she was doing in Europe. The first voyage we went on with her, we got lots of information about the waves, the seasickness of the Sisters, the look of creation as Mother looked out over the ocean.  This time, we don't get much of that. Maybe that's fitting because she's already spoken a lot about crossing the Atlantic.  Let's go ahead and join Mother Cabrini on a calm day at sea by turning to page 224. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. If you ever thought Mother Cabrini was lazy (which I doubt you did), today will put those thoughts to rest.  Nearly everywhere she goes, she wants to open a school, a house for Sisters, or something to help bring the faith to people. Her energy seems endless.  Today, we will hear more about her time in Paris. Let's open to page 219.

Bonjour, Catholic Pilgrims. Bienvenue. Welcome.   At the beginning of this letter, Mother Cabrini is again telling her dear daughters about what she was doing in Europe before leaving from Liverpool. We are getting up to speed, shall we say. Today, we will briefly hear about her time in Paris. Then, we will move up to the current voyage.  Let's go ahead and open to page 216.

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims. It's been awhile since we've had a super short reading, so today, we get a bit of a break from a longer reading. As a reminder, this trip started on November 6th, 1899, but the date for today's reading is August 25th. The reason for this jump back in time is that Mother Cabrini is filling her daughters in on what she was doing before heading out from Liverpool. So, yesterday, we heard about how she took a retreat. Today, she's going to continue on with what she was doing after that.  Mother Cabrini gets to help do some preparation work for an upcoming pilgrimage to Lourdes that Monsignor Radini Tedeschi is taking. She doesn't get to go on the pilgrimage, but she is still helping out for just a bit.  Let's hear about this as we turn to page 215. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. As we've been traveling around with Mother Cabrini, you may have wondered, “Does this woman ever rest?”  Well, yes, she does. Today, we are going to hear about how she took a retreat when she was in Rome at the Mother House. She recognized that her body was wearing down and she just needed to be calm and rest for awhile. She understands how refreshing this is to the mind, body, and soul.  It's true. If you've ever been on a spiritual retreat, it does help to calibrate you back into a place of harmony. Even if it's only for a few days.  So, let's hear about the benefits of retreats by opening to page 210.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims, we are starting on a new voyage with Mother Cabrini. Two years have passed since her last voyage. This time she is leaving from Liverpool, that city made famous the Beatles. As you may know, all four Beatles' members were born and raised in Liverpool.  Mother Cabrini is going to tell us that this is her seventh time leaving Europe and before she goes, she has an audience with Pope Leo XIII. At the time of this recording, we just got our new pope, Pope Leo XIV. The St. Francis Cabrini Shrine in New York, recently posted these thoughts from a fellow Catholic:  “The last Pope Leo the world knew, sent a woman named Francesca X. Cabrini to the United States to care for the poor, hungry and marginalized. He sent her to bring them the hope of Jesus. That very woman died in the city of Chicago after being a missionary spreading the love of God, through the Sacred Heart of Jesus to those in need…May the new Pope Leo XIV from Chicago, who has been sent to Rome, also be a missionary spreading the love of God to all, because we are all in some need. Amen.”  Those are some great connections for us to ponder as we turn to page 207 and begin our journey across the Atlantic. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims, and welcome back. Today, we will read the second half of the letter for this voyage. Remember this is just one long letter for the Buenos Aires trip to Barcelona.  Since we will finish this letter today, I'll be giving my reflection once we are done.  Let's open to page 199 and start where it says, “We had no sooner left.” 

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims, to our next voyage. We are headed with Mother Cabrini from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Barcelona, Spain. We are about 8 months removed from the end of the last voyage, so the year is 1896.  This reading will be a bit different than other ones. This letter is just one long big letter and to read it all would take a good long while. So, we are going to split it up. We will read from page 189 to the middle of 199.  It's a longer reading, but we will get some info on what went on in Argentina, which will be insightful. So, this letter will take us just two days to work through and then that's it.  Without any further delay, let's open to page 189 and head to Barcelona. 

Welcome back to the end of this voyage, Catholic Pilgrims. There is so much exciting stuff going on in today's reading. We've got mule rides over foggy mountains, jumps across deep chasms, drunken men, and scant food and sleep for Mother Cabrini and Mother Chiara. We are reading an adventure tale today that could totally be a movie.  We have a lot to read, but you are really going to be amazed at what a Religious Sister is willing to do to save souls.  Let's join her on the caravan by opening to page 176.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Today is a longer reading, but I invite you to sit back and just imagine Mother Cabrini traveling around off the coast of Chile. Her descriptions are really quite interesting. She's going to spend some time in Antofagasta and if you go look at the city online, you will find that, other than modern day buildings, her descriptions are very accurate.  She has some choice words to say about a Protestant pastor that is on board and, as a former Protestant, I don't blame her for her feelings on Protestantism. It has led millions away from the Eucharist and there's just no benefit in that at all.  Since this is a longer reading, let's go ahead and get started by turning to page 168.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back. Today, we are going to get a major geography lesson.  I used to be horrible at geography—horrible. Once I became a military spouse, I started to get better, mostly because I was traveling a lot and I started really looking things up on a map and caring about what I was looking at.  I imagine that most of us listening to this book have not traveled down the west coast of South America. As Mother describes it, it sounds very, very different than what most of us are used to environmentally and geographically.  So, let's settle in and hear about that part of the world through a missionary's eyes by turning to page 165.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. We have a long reading today filled with all kinds of good information and descriptions. Even though it's a longer reading, I think you are really going to enjoy hearing about Mother being in Peru.  Since, it will take more time to get through, let's go ahead and get started by turning to page 158.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims, to another day at port near Peru with Mother Cabrini. You can kind of imagine the first 3/4 of today's reading a bit of a blog almost. Mother is describing what life at port in Peru in the late 1800s is like and it's a real snapshot in time for us. She even talks about seagull guano today, which I never would have thought a Saint would discuss.  In the last part of the reading, she talks about obedience. As I've said before, obedience is one of the dirtiest words in our culture. Too many only want to be obedient to themselves and that's a huge problem. As we can see when we look around. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims.  Today, we are with Mother Cabrini at the port of Piata in Peru. She is going to describe it as looking very desolate and it seems not much has changed. If you go look on google maps, it is a brown, dry desert. There is not much color.  The word Piata is not a Spanish word, at least not that I could find. So, I don't know exactly what it means, but there is a port of Piata, so maybe it's just a name.  Let's hear about Mother Cabrini's time now in Peru by turning to page 153.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Thank you for joining me today.  Before we begin our reading, I think we need a bit of background. Mother Cabrini is at port in Guayaquil which is in Ecuador. She is going to mention that she doesn't want to go ashore because of the revolutions. What she is speaking about is the Liberal Revolution of 1895. The pro-Catholic, conservative president was assassinated and a liberal, anti-clerical man named Eloy Alfaro came into power.  So, I wanted you to be a bit more informed before we started. Let's go ahead now and open to page 152. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  Yesterday, we got kind of the pep talk before the big trip. Today, same date, we get more of the play-by-play of the trip.  In the song “A Whole New World” from the movie Aladdin, there's a line that says, “With new horizons to pursue (every moment red letter). I always thought they were singing, “With new horizons to pursue, every moment gets better.” When my girls were singing about the moment being red letter, I was confused. What the heck does that mean?  Well, a red-letter day is a very pleasantly memorable day and that is what Mother Cabrini is going to describe for us. 

Welcome to another voyage, Catholic Pilgrims. So, Mother Cabrini got to Panama at the start of June of 1895 and she is already leaving in October of 1895.  Where is she headed? Over the Andes mountains and on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. That sounds like some serious traveling and, consequently, this voyage has a lot of information in the writings. She's not just out on the open ocean waiting to get to a port.  So, I think we are going to get a real deep dive into some very interesting experiences. Today's reading is like a pep talk to missionaries. Are there difficult parts? Yes. Are their scary times? Yes. But, all that a missionary does is worth it. Bringing souls to Christ is worth the difficulty and scary times. Let's start this voyage by turning to page 145.

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims, the final day of our voyage to Panama. As this is the last day, I will offer my reflection after our readings.  One thing to note: Mother Cabrini arrives at the port of Colon, which is in Panama. However, even though she's there, she keeps talking about how she needs to get to Panama to see the house where the Sisters stay. Just to be clear, she is talking about Panama City in Panama, not in Florida where I used to live. So, Colon is on east side of the isthmus and Panama City is on the western side. Actually, though, if you look at a map, because of the shape of Panama, Colon sits in the north and Panama City in the south.  Without further ado, let's turn to page 140.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome. We have a long reading today, but a very interesting one.  Mother Cabrini is finally on the steamer and she has time to write. A couple of voyages back we went to Nicaragua with her and learned about how she was setting up a school. Today, she is going to tell us about how the Sisters in Nicaragua were banished because of a rebellion. It's called the Nicaragua Crisis of 1894-1895. So, I just wanted you to give you some context for today's reading. A lot of her writings today will be explaining that whole fallout.  Since it's a longer reading, let's get started by opening to page 134.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Mother Cabrini is still in Costa Rica and the locals are trying very hard to make up for the distasteful way she was treated because of the Freemason.  While Mother appreciates their kind offers, she is anxious to be on to Panama and must decline their offer to stay longer in their country.  You know, something I learned living in Turkey was to meet each opportunity that is not quite going my way by being helpless and kind. Helpless in that I asked others to help me and, generally, people want to be helpful, especially to kind people. Every time I approached a difficult situation with the attitude of helpless and kind, I was always given special favors. Much like what we see here with Mother Cabrini.  Let's see what is going on in Costa Rica by turning to page 132.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  Today is not a day that Mother Cabrini is interested in talking about her travels. Today is June 1, 1895 and she is interested in talking about the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  What could be better to hear about? So, let's open our books to page 128.

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. In our reading today, Mother Cabrini is still in Costa Rica waiting to go to Panama. She spends time explaining the weather, the views, Mass, and the people to her daughters.  She is trying to be patient, as she very much wants to get to Panama.  Let's hear about her day as we turn to page 126.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. I think you are really going to like today's reading. Mother and the Sisters reach port in Costa Rica. At first, everything seems to be going well, but then… A sneaky and cunning Freemason tries to sabotage Mother's short visit. She handles it like a champ, as I'm sure you can imagine.  I'll link to some information on Port Limon in the show notes, so you can read about it if interested.  So, let's hear all about this as we open to page 123. Port Limon: https://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=168

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims. Today, we hear a lot about what it was like to travel around the Caribbean Sea. It's very pretty, but it can be tough to navigate the sometimes shallow waters. Can you imagine how many things are at the bottom of the Caribbean?  I have this daydream that I often draw to mind of draining certain seas and parts of different oceans. After they are drained, I imagine myself walking on the bottom looking at all the interesting treasures and pieces of history. I think that would be wildly cool to do.  Mother Cabrini is getting close to Port Limon and she is anxious to get to shore to find someone to help her understand her swelling problem.  Let's turn to page 120 to hear. 

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back to another beautiful day at sea with Mother Cabrini.  One of the biggest hurdles for me to get over with Catholicism was the papacy. Truly, I believed all the misconceptions about the pope. I thought Catholics believed the pope was God, that he was perfect. I didn't get the point of him. I didn't have any clue about the biblical significance of giving the keys of the kingdom to Peter. I was truly ignorant and willfully so.  Mother Cabrini is going to talk a lot about the pope in our readings today. During 1895, Pope Leo XIII was pope and he is generally considered a good pope.  Let's hear her thoughts by turning to page 116. 

Welcome, Catholic Pilgrims! Mother Cabrini is feeling well. She's got those sharp pencils and ruled paper and is putting them to good use.  It's a longer reading today, so I want to jump right in.  Please open to page 111.

Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. Welcome back.  Mother Cabrini is not feeling well, so we have a short reading for today, as she was unable to write much.  I'm continually impressed with how she accepts whatever comes her way without complaining. She explains her predicaments, but doesn't wallow in misery. A good example for us all.  Let's go ahead and open our books to page 110.