New film gives biopic treatment to Sister Cabrini, an American saint with ties to Chicago

Mother Cabrini
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) founded schools, orphanages, and hospitals throughout the United States and South America, and became the first American saint, canonized in 1946. Photo credit Getty Images

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A new movie opening Friday is about a woman whose work in Chicago helped make her a saint.

“Cabrini" is the story of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, or Mother Cabrini, a woman who dedicated her life to helping the poor, including here in Chicago, where she died in 1917.

Father Ramil Fajardo, rector of a National Shrine for Cabrini in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, said it’s important to recognize that the sister was a real person.

“When we think of a saint, we think of these statues,” he told WBBM Newsradio. “We see an idealized image, and she was very normal. And that’s the story of what it means to be a saint in the Catholic Church.”

“Cabrini" is being released in conjunction with International Women's Day.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images