St. Elizabeth University event highlights Mother Cabrini’s local connections #Catholic – St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, America’s first Catholic saint, significantly impacted the nation by leading efforts to care for poor Italians and marginalized people in New York City and beyond. Her extensive connections also reached into the heart of Northern New Jersey, including the Paterson Diocese. A distinguished panel of guests highlighted Mother Cabrini’s local connections and strong advocacy for immigrants and poor communities at a discussion of “Cabrini,” the 2024 feature film about the saint. The event drew a sizable audience to the Dolan Performing Arts Center at St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township, N.J., on April 28, underscoring her local and broader impact. This “talk back” session followed a screening of powerful and dramatic clips from “Cabrini” at St. Elizabeth’s on April 21. Both events promoted the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP), which will stop in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. at sites in Passaic and Paterson on June 14 and 15. The NEP’s Cabrini Route will travel up the Eastern Seaboard, including through the diocese, this summer. At both the screening and the discussion, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pilgrimage stop delegate and pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., encouraged participation in the NEP events being hosted by the diocese. He also offered theological and legal perspectives on the immigrant experience. As a panelist, he noted that the Cabrini Route “underscores what Mother Cabrini means to the East Coast because we were the witnesses of that great arrival of immigrants during her day.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “And the plight isn’t over. We have many immigrants still trying to provide a better life for their families by coming to the country,” Father Jaramillo said. “We can see how Mother Cabrini’s powerful example brought Christ to others and is still very much alive in the many wonderful religious we have and the wonderful work they do in favor of immigrants.” The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Mother Cabrini founded, opened schools and orphanages for Italian immigrants despite many challenges. Mother Cabrini traveled across Europe, the Americas, and the U.S., founding 67 institutions. Father Jaramillo also spoke about a Mother Cabrini connection in the Paterson Diocese. Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli’s mother, Eva, received religious education in New York City from the future saint. Before the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson was rededicated in 2017, the bishop commissioned a large stained-glass window of Mother Cabrini in her honor, as part of major renovations to the diocese’s mother church. The panel included J. Eustace Wolfington, executive producer of “Cabrini” and key organizer; Gilda Bello of Cabrini Asset Management, a journalist and promoter of Mother Cabrini’s story and mission; Carol Bezak, a St. Elizabeth’s graduate, administrator of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown, N.Y., and president of the National Association of U.S. Shrines; Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, retired priest of the Newark Archdiocese, author, and chaplain/consultant on the film; Sister of Charity Judy Mertz, founding director of Josephine’s Place, a women’s outreach in Elizabeth, N.J.; and Zachary DeCarlo Jr., founder and president of ZCD Advisors, who worked with Wolfington on “Cabrini.” Sister Mertz described how the Sisters of Charity in New York City welcomed Mother Cabrini and her  Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after their arrival from Italy around 1889, sent by Pope Leo XIII. She explained a further local connection: then-Sister of Charity Mary Xavier Mehegan, herself an Irish immigrant, traveled to Convent Station to help found the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth with several fellow religious sister. Together, they established the Academy of St. Elizabeth and later the College of St. Elizabeth, now St. Elizabeth University, demonstrating how Cabrini’s influence helped shape women’s religious life in New Jersey. “Mother Cabrini was a great model of women in the Church at that time, who had the conviction of her calling, and a deep trust in God’s providence. She had such compassion,” said Sister Mertz. She called Mother Cabrini and Mother Mehegan “catalysts for systemic change.” The NEP is an initiative of the U.S. bishops inspired by the Eucharistic Revival, held last year in Indianapolis, which sought to “to ignite that flame of love for Jesus in the Eucharist, especially geared to young people.” The NEP also will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Father Jaramillo said. “Mother Cabrini’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist was without a doubt what empowered her to carry out her missionary work,” Father Jaramillo said. “We want the events of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to remind young people of her beautiful example and make them aware of how we too can exercise that same operative  charity through a deep and lasting relationship with Christ in the Eucharist.” A former parish pastoral associate in the diocese, Bezak brought a Mother Cabrini image with a third-class relic to the “talk back.” The “Cabrini” screening and “talk-back” were possible through her friendship with one of the film’s executive producers. Initially, Wolfington, now 93, had refused a request to make a film about Mother Cabrini, but later accepted, believing he could make a better movie about her than another film company that had signed on to do it. “Everywhere we go with the film, there’s been a transformation. People who walk in the movie are not the same people walking out, especially the young people. It’s had an incredible effect,” Wolfington said. For questions about events in this diocese, please contact: MMoncaleano@patersondiocese.org. For registration assistance, please contact: registration@eucharisticcongress.org. National Eucharistic Pilgrimage activities in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., on June 14 and 15 Pilgrimage activities on June 14: 3:30–5 p.m.: Eucharist talk (English), Fr. Rafael Capo, Holy Rosary Church, 6 Wall St., Passaic, N.J. 3:30–5 p.m.: “Influenciados por la Eucaristía” opening talk (Spanish), P. Heriberto García, St. Nicholas, 217 President St., Passaic, N.J. 5–6:30 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession from Holy Rosary Church (6 Wall St, Passaic, N.J.) to Boverini Stadium (1.5 miles). The procession will end with the opening Mass. 6:30–8 p.m.: Opening Mass, Boverini Stadium, 262 River Dr., Passaic, N.J., with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Pilgrimage events on June 15: 3–5 p.m.: Divine Liturgy with Byzantine Catholic community at St. Michael Chapel, 415 Lackawanna Ave., Woodland Park, N.J. 5:30–7 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession starting at the Father English Center, 435 Main St., in Paterson, N.J. and ending at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson, N.J. 7–8:30 p.m.: Closing Mass with Bishop Sweeney and homily by Father Casey Cole, O.F.M., at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson. The municipal parking lot opens at 5 p.m. across from the Cathedral. Watch the livestream at https://rcdopcathedral.org/. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, America’s first Catholic saint, significantly impacted the nation by leading efforts to care for poor Italians and marginalized people in New York City and beyond. Her extensive connections also reached into the heart of Northern New Jersey, including the Paterson Diocese.

A distinguished panel of guests highlighted Mother Cabrini’s local connections and strong advocacy for immigrants and poor communities at a discussion of “Cabrini,” the 2024 feature film about the saint. The event drew a sizable audience to the Dolan Performing Arts Center at St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township, N.J., on April 28, underscoring her local and broader impact.

This “talk back” session followed a screening of powerful and dramatic clips from “Cabrini” at St. Elizabeth’s on April 21. Both events promoted the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP), which will stop in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. at sites in Passaic and Paterson on June 14 and 15. The NEP’s Cabrini Route will travel up the Eastern Seaboard, including through the diocese, this summer.

At both the screening and the discussion, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pilgrimage stop delegate and pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., encouraged participation in the NEP events being hosted by the diocese. He also offered theological and legal perspectives on the immigrant experience. As a panelist, he noted that the Cabrini Route “underscores what Mother Cabrini means to the East Coast because we were the witnesses of that great arrival of immigrants during her day.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“And the plight isn’t over. We have many immigrants still trying to provide a better life for their families by coming to the country,” Father Jaramillo said. “We can see how Mother Cabrini’s powerful example brought Christ to others and is still very much alive in the many wonderful religious we have and the wonderful work they do in favor of immigrants.”

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Mother Cabrini founded, opened schools and orphanages for Italian immigrants despite many challenges. Mother Cabrini traveled across Europe, the Americas, and the U.S., founding 67 institutions.

Father Jaramillo also spoke about a Mother Cabrini connection in the Paterson Diocese. Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli’s mother, Eva, received religious education in New York City from the future saint. Before the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson was rededicated in 2017, the bishop commissioned a large stained-glass window of Mother Cabrini in her honor, as part of major renovations to the diocese’s mother church.

The panel included J. Eustace Wolfington, executive producer of “Cabrini” and key organizer; Gilda Bello of Cabrini Asset Management, a journalist and promoter of Mother Cabrini’s story and mission; Carol Bezak, a St. Elizabeth’s graduate, administrator of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown, N.Y., and president of the National Association of U.S. Shrines; Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, retired priest of the Newark Archdiocese, author, and chaplain/consultant on the film; Sister of Charity Judy Mertz, founding director of Josephine’s Place, a women’s outreach in Elizabeth, N.J.; and Zachary DeCarlo Jr., founder and president of ZCD Advisors, who worked with Wolfington on “Cabrini.”

Sister Mertz described how the Sisters of Charity in New York City welcomed Mother Cabrini and her  Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after their arrival from Italy around 1889, sent by Pope Leo XIII. She explained a further local connection: then-Sister of Charity Mary Xavier Mehegan, herself an Irish immigrant, traveled to Convent Station to help found the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth with several fellow religious sister. Together, they established the Academy of St. Elizabeth and later the College of St. Elizabeth, now St. Elizabeth University, demonstrating how Cabrini’s influence helped shape women’s religious life in New Jersey.

“Mother Cabrini was a great model of women in the Church at that time, who had the conviction of her calling, and a deep trust in God’s providence. She had such compassion,” said Sister Mertz. She called Mother Cabrini and Mother Mehegan “catalysts for systemic change.”

The NEP is an initiative of the U.S. bishops inspired by the Eucharistic Revival, held last year in Indianapolis, which sought to “to ignite that flame of love for Jesus in the Eucharist, especially geared to young people.” The NEP also will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Father Jaramillo said.

“Mother Cabrini’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist was without a doubt what empowered her to carry out her missionary work,” Father Jaramillo said. “We want the events of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to remind young people of her beautiful example and make them aware of how we too can exercise that same operative  charity through a deep and lasting relationship with Christ in the Eucharist.”

A former parish pastoral associate in the diocese, Bezak brought a Mother Cabrini image with a third-class relic to the “talk back.” The “Cabrini” screening and “talk-back” were possible through her friendship with one of the film’s executive producers.

Initially, Wolfington, now 93, had refused a request to make a film about Mother Cabrini, but later accepted, believing he could make a better movie about her than another film company that had signed on to do it.

“Everywhere we go with the film, there’s been a transformation. People who walk in the movie are not the same people walking out, especially the young people. It’s had an incredible effect,” Wolfington said.

For questions about events in this diocese, please contact: MMoncaleano@patersondiocese.org. For registration assistance, please contact: registration@eucharisticcongress.org.

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage activities in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., on June 14 and 15

Pilgrimage activities on June 14:

3:30–5 p.m.: Eucharist talk (English), Fr. Rafael Capo, Holy Rosary Church, 6 Wall St., Passaic, N.J.

3:30–5 p.m.: “Influenciados por la Eucaristía” opening talk (Spanish), P. Heriberto García, St. Nicholas, 217 President St., Passaic, N.J.

5–6:30 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession from Holy Rosary Church (6 Wall St, Passaic, N.J.) to Boverini Stadium (1.5 miles). The procession will end with the opening Mass.

6:30–8 p.m.: Opening Mass, Boverini Stadium, 262 River Dr., Passaic, N.J., with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

Pilgrimage events on June 15:

3–5 p.m.: Divine Liturgy with Byzantine Catholic community at St. Michael Chapel, 415 Lackawanna Ave., Woodland Park, N.J.

5:30–7 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession starting at the Father English Center, 435 Main St., in Paterson, N.J. and ending at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson, N.J.

7–8:30 p.m.: Closing Mass with Bishop Sweeney and homily by Father Casey Cole, O.F.M., at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson. The municipal parking lot opens at 5 p.m. across from the Cathedral. Watch the livestream at https://rcdopcathedral.org/.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
St. Elizabeth University event highlights Mother Cabrini’s local connections #Catholic –

St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, America’s first Catholic saint, significantly impacted the nation by leading efforts to care for poor Italians and marginalized people in New York City and beyond. Her extensive connections also reached into the heart of Northern New Jersey, including the Paterson Diocese.

A distinguished panel of guests highlighted Mother Cabrini’s local connections and strong advocacy for immigrants and poor communities at a discussion of “Cabrini,” the 2024 feature film about the saint. The event drew a sizable audience to the Dolan Performing Arts Center at St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township, N.J., on April 28, underscoring her local and broader impact.

This “talk back” session followed a screening of powerful and dramatic clips from “Cabrini” at St. Elizabeth’s on April 21. Both events promoted the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP), which will stop in the Paterson Diocese, N.J. at sites in Passaic and Paterson on June 14 and 15. The NEP’s Cabrini Route will travel up the Eastern Seaboard, including through the diocese, this summer.

At both the screening and the discussion, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pilgrimage stop delegate and pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., encouraged participation in the NEP events being hosted by the diocese. He also offered theological and legal perspectives on the immigrant experience. As a panelist, he noted that the Cabrini Route “underscores what Mother Cabrini means to the East Coast because we were the witnesses of that great arrival of immigrants during her day.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“And the plight isn’t over. We have many immigrants still trying to provide a better life for their families by coming to the country,” Father Jaramillo said. “We can see how Mother Cabrini’s powerful example brought Christ to others and is still very much alive in the many wonderful religious we have and the wonderful work they do in favor of immigrants.”

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Mother Cabrini founded, opened schools and orphanages for Italian immigrants despite many challenges. Mother Cabrini traveled across Europe, the Americas, and the U.S., founding 67 institutions.

Father Jaramillo also spoke about a Mother Cabrini connection in the Paterson Diocese. Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli’s mother, Eva, received religious education in New York City from the future saint. Before the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson was rededicated in 2017, the bishop commissioned a large stained-glass window of Mother Cabrini in her honor, as part of major renovations to the diocese’s mother church.

The panel included J. Eustace Wolfington, executive producer of “Cabrini” and key organizer; Gilda Bello of Cabrini Asset Management, a journalist and promoter of Mother Cabrini’s story and mission; Carol Bezak, a St. Elizabeth’s graduate, administrator of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown, N.Y., and president of the National Association of U.S. Shrines; Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, retired priest of the Newark Archdiocese, author, and chaplain/consultant on the film; Sister of Charity Judy Mertz, founding director of Josephine’s Place, a women’s outreach in Elizabeth, N.J.; and Zachary DeCarlo Jr., founder and president of ZCD Advisors, who worked with Wolfington on “Cabrini.”

Sister Mertz described how the Sisters of Charity in New York City welcomed Mother Cabrini and her  Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after their arrival from Italy around 1889, sent by Pope Leo XIII. She explained a further local connection: then-Sister of Charity Mary Xavier Mehegan, herself an Irish immigrant, traveled to Convent Station to help found the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth with several fellow religious sister. Together, they established the Academy of St. Elizabeth and later the College of St. Elizabeth, now St. Elizabeth University, demonstrating how Cabrini’s influence helped shape women’s religious life in New Jersey.

“Mother Cabrini was a great model of women in the Church at that time, who had the conviction of her calling, and a deep trust in God’s providence. She had such compassion,” said Sister Mertz. She called Mother Cabrini and Mother Mehegan “catalysts for systemic change.”

The NEP is an initiative of the U.S. bishops inspired by the Eucharistic Revival, held last year in Indianapolis, which sought to “to ignite that flame of love for Jesus in the Eucharist, especially geared to young people.” The NEP also will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Father Jaramillo said.

“Mother Cabrini’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist was without a doubt what empowered her to carry out her missionary work,” Father Jaramillo said. “We want the events of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to remind young people of her beautiful example and make them aware of how we too can exercise that same operative  charity through a deep and lasting relationship with Christ in the Eucharist.”

A former parish pastoral associate in the diocese, Bezak brought a Mother Cabrini image with a third-class relic to the “talk back.” The “Cabrini” screening and “talk-back” were possible through her friendship with one of the film’s executive producers.

Initially, Wolfington, now 93, had refused a request to make a film about Mother Cabrini, but later accepted, believing he could make a better movie about her than another film company that had signed on to do it.

“Everywhere we go with the film, there’s been a transformation. People who walk in the movie are not the same people walking out, especially the young people. It’s had an incredible effect,” Wolfington said.

For questions about events in this diocese, please contact: MMoncaleano@patersondiocese.org. For registration assistance, please contact: registration@eucharisticcongress.org.

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage activities in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., on June 14 and 15

Pilgrimage activities on June 14:

3:30–5 p.m.: Eucharist talk (English), Fr. Rafael Capo, Holy Rosary Church, 6 Wall St., Passaic, N.J.

3:30–5 p.m.: “Influenciados por la Eucaristía” opening talk (Spanish), P. Heriberto García, St. Nicholas, 217 President St., Passaic, N.J.

5–6:30 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession from Holy Rosary Church (6 Wall St, Passaic, N.J.) to Boverini Stadium (1.5 miles). The procession will end with the opening Mass.

6:30–8 p.m.: Opening Mass, Boverini Stadium, 262 River Dr., Passaic, N.J., with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

Pilgrimage events on June 15:

3–5 p.m.: Divine Liturgy with Byzantine Catholic community at St. Michael Chapel, 415 Lackawanna Ave., Woodland Park, N.J.

5:30–7 p.m.: Eucharistic Procession starting at the Father English Center, 435 Main St., in Paterson, N.J. and ending at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson, N.J.

7–8:30 p.m.: Closing Mass with Bishop Sweeney and homily by Father Casey Cole, O.F.M., at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 381 Grand St., Paterson. The municipal parking lot opens at 5 p.m. across from the Cathedral. Watch the livestream at https://rcdopcathedral.org/.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]