Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini is somewhat of a big deal among Italian Americans. She is also a pretty big deal to most Catholic immigrants and their children. Mother Cabrini, as she is often called, was born on July 15, 1850. Almost drowning while a child left her in frail health for most of her life, and terrified of water.

Nevertheless, Mother Cabrini overcame her fears of water in her eventual travels between Italy and the United States via multi-week voyages across the Atlantic- 23 in total- to work with Pope Pius XII in the Catholic church’s efforts to evangelize and cultivate the flocks of Italian immigrants in many cities within the United States.