Italy’s Chamber of Deputies commemorated the 80th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini with a conference devoted to the life and enduring legacy of the “Angel of Migrants.” The event was held July 15 in the Chamber’s press room at Montecitorio in Rome – the same date on which Cabrini was born in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in 1850.
Pope Pius XII canonized Mother Cabrini on July 7, 1946. She became the first U.S. citizen declared a saint by the Catholic Church and, in 1950, was named the universal patron saint of immigrants. Her example remains especially relevant at a time when migration continues to generate political and social divisions.
The initiative was promoted by Democratic Party lawmakers Fabio Porta, elected in the South America district, and Christian Di Sanzo, representing North and Central America. Gianni Lattanzio, editorial director of Meridianoitalia, moderated the discussion.
Participants included Father Simone Caleffi of LUMSA University, publisher Gioacchino Onorati, Italian migration historian Dominic Candeloro from Chicago, University of Rome Tor Vergata professor Elisabetta Marino, writer Maria Pia Cappello and artist Meo Carbone. The program also featured a video by Francesco Butta showing the flight of doves in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano and a remote connection with Casa Italia in Chicago.
Cabrini arrived in New York in 1889 to assist Italian immigrants living in poverty and facing prejudice. Despite poor health, she traveled repeatedly across the Atlantic and throughout the Americas, establishing 67 schools, hospitals and orphanages worldwide. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1909 and died in Chicago on December 22, 1917.
Speakers emphasized how Cabrini supported children, workers and displaced families while protecting their dignity and helping them become part of American society. Her story, they observed, demonstrates that welcoming migrants, serving vulnerable people and defending human dignity are not partisan positions – they are shared moral responsibilities.
