On November 13, the Catholic  Church celebrates St. Frances  Xavier Cabrini, an Italian-born missionary who dedicated her life to serving Italian immigrants in the United States. Although she had a deep fear of water and drowning, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times to carry out her mission of love and service.

From childhood, Frances Cabrini dreamed of becoming a missionary in China. But God led her on a different path. Orphaned before the age of 18, she joined the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and chose the name “Xavier” in honor of St. Francis Xavier, the famous missionary to Asia.

When she sought permission to go East, Pope Leo XIII advised her instead to go West. Following his guidance, she accepted an invitation from Archbishop Corrigan of New York and traveled to the United States. For nearly three decades, she journeyed across the ocean and throughout the country, founding orphanages, hospitals, schools, and convents for Italian immigrants who often lived in poor and difficult conditions.

St. Frances Cabrini later became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She passed away in 1917 and was canonized in 1946, shortly before a new wave of immigrants arrived in the country.

Today, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is honored as the patron saint of immigrants.