From Saint Catherine of Siena to Saint Clare of Assisi, Italy has no shortage of cities connected to the lives of groundbreaking female saints. But many foreign visitors likely miss the birthplace of one of the most influential Catholic saints of northern Italy, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. Born in 1850 in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, a small town located 18 miles south of Milan, Mother Cabrini left a profound mark in the lives of people on both sides of the Atlantic.
During her youth, Cabrini was appointed director of the orphanage of the nearby town of Codogno, where she started the order of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Inspired by the lives of missionaries, particularly that of Saint Francis Xavier, after whom she was named, Cabrini was soon sent to evangelize the Americas. It was a Pope Leo namesake -- Pope Leo XIII -- who sent her.
She learned English and Spanish and established 67 schools, orphanages, and hospitals in cities around the U.S. from New York to Seattle, New Orleans to Chicago, eventually becoming an American citizen in 1909. She died in Chicago, Leo XIV's hometown.
Due to her heroic virtue in the midst of the tireless work of educating the children of immigrants, especially those of Italian-American families, Cabrini was beatified in 1938 and canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, becoming the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. She is the patron saint of immigrants.
This weekend, Pope Leo will visit Mother Cabrini’s birth town as part of a trip that will also take the first Augustinian pope to the nearby city of Pavia, where the relics of Saint Augustine are preserved. The visit to Sant Angelo Lodigiano will include adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of a relic of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, preserved inside her namesake Basilica. (Most of her remains are interred beneath the altar at the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in northern Manhattan.)
Jewel of the Middle Ages
Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, a town of 15,000, was founded in the Middle Ages as part of the wider feudal land of Lodi. The town's medieval castle, Castello Bolognini, towering over the low-rise buildings of the historic city center, is one of the most well preserved examples of medieval architecture in northern Italy. The original medieval structure was expanded in the 15th century to include a dining room and a library, all of which are open to visitors. The castle also hosts the Morando Bolognini Museum featuring a collection of furniture, weaponry, and artworks from the 15th-17th centuries.
The other architectural jewel of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano is the Basilica of Sant’Antonio Abate and Santa Francesca Cabrini. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as a tribute to the legacy of the missionary Saint. The 20th-century structure was erected over the pre-existing town church, dating to the 13th century. For this reason, the Basilica features areas dating to the Renaissance and Baroque periods as well as more recent centuries.
The Chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary, dating to the 15th-century, features frescoes from Baroque painter Morazzone, while the 20th-century chapel dedicated to the Italian-American saint features frescoes by Giovanni Battista Galizzi and Angelo Secchi, illustrating scenes from her life and missionary work. The church also features a 17th-century baptistery, where the saint was baptized in 1850, and a marble altar where parts of her relics are preserved.
This coming weekend, Pope Leo will be the first pope to ever step foot inside the baptismal place of Mother Cabrini, a historic moment for the local Catholic community. The visit also comes at a pivotal time as Cabrini’s dedication to educate the children of immigrants speaks to Pope Leo’s commitment to serve those forced to flee their home in search for a better future.
