Faithful Friday: Angel Studios Celebrates International Women’s Day With the Release of “Cabrini.”
By: Debbie Waltz
In the last week of “When You Pray,” I find it quite fitting that the topic centers on unity within the church. During his time on earth, Jesus spoke out against the religious leaders of his time by ministering to those least fortunate in his community by healing them. He went a step further by inviting some of the least liked and least popular to join him.
In Cabrini, Sister Francis Xavier Cabrini faces the same kind of opposition when she opens up to the Pope about dreams of providing orphanages to immigrants worldwide. The Pope doesn’t exactly dismiss her but suggests she start somewhere in the West- specifically New York City. Off they go, but little did they know what awaits them as they step on American soil for the very first time. The pier is a fury of busyness as carriages wait for paying customers and other boats hurry to unload their shipments.
Sadly, no one is there to greet The Sisters. In 1889, Americans did not approve of “brown-skinned” immigrants invading their land; keep in mind, that most foreigners did not speak English and were often illiterate when they got off the boat. In the movie, one man exclaims his disapproval like this: “They just keep comin’.” and “We should ship ‘em all back.”
Still not deterred, Cabrini urged the sisters to “open their eyes” to see the faces of the children they’d be helping. While walking along the streets their first night looking for a place to stay, they had to confront reality: America was not “the land of opportunity” they’d all thought it would be. Rather, one had to work its way up in society. Sadly, some just simply couldn’t or died trying.
Just as he did in The Sound of Freedom, Director Alejandro Monteverde does a magnificent job transporting audiences from the picturesque backdrops of Rome to the dingy and dirty streets of 1889 New York, where disease and crime run rampant. Orphan children are often left to fend for themselves along the sidewalks and city streets. Forced to grow up too soon, they give up their dreams of a good education in exchange for a menial job shoveling coal to simply survive.
Hoping to see a better future for her charges, sister Cabrini (played by Cristiana Dell’Anna) tries to enlist the help of the local Catholic church. As expected, Archbishop Corrigan (David Morse) is less than eager to lend a hand, but when she reaches out to the local papers to shed light on the “problem” he is outraged. To stop her from asking for further “handouts” from the public, the Archbishop offers a compromise -a monthly donation to ensure the orphanage at 5*Points stays open. But Cabrini never stops dreaming big as she has plans for another expansion. After going to the mayor (played by John Lithgow) to ask for assistance, she is denied.
The mayor is not pleased by the negative attention being brought to his city; as a result, He does everything he can to delay its grand opening- including unplanned inspections and outrageous fees. Undeterred, she is forced to come up with more creative fundraising events enlisting the help of a famous Italian opera singer
In the midst of all this, Cabrini is coping with a post-tuberculosis diagnosis. While doctors urge her to slow down and make the most of the time she has left. She doesn’t.
She eventually builds a hospital, thanks to a board of wealthy men who came to America looking to fulfill their dreams. These men were of all different nationalities and had their own experiences dealing with prejudice as they made their way into this new country of theirs.
This movie is an uplifting story of one woman’s journey to provide a home to poor Italian immigrant children. She lived out Matthew 25:40 to the fullest relying on God to provide for her every need. In this passage, Jesus reminds his followers that whatever they do on this earth is for Him. He declares:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”