Dozens of faithful spent their Friday night at the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in Washington Heights, some seeking the plenary indulgence of visiting the site during the Jubilee Year.  

Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Colacicco was the evening’s principal celebrant. The November 7 Mass marked a special milestone, coming the night after the bishop celebrated the 43rd anniversary of his ordination the night before.  

“In all of my years in priestly ministry, the one thing that I truly wanted was to offer Mass at this altar, where Mother Cabrini rests. This is the moment that that wish is fulfilled for me, so it is a very special blessing, and I am so honored to be with you this evening to celebrate this Mass,” Bishop Colacicco said, who donned vestments featuring Mother Cabrini’s image for the occasion. 

In his homily, the bishop reflected on the theme of home and Mother Cabrini’s role in creating spiritual homes for immigrants. 

“When we talk of her, we speak of mother. She brings us home, home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that very heart that she rested in and pointed to throughout the entire path of her life,” he said. 

He continued, “Mother Cabrini made New York, indeed, not only New York, but Chicago, Seattle, Denver, New Orleans, she made all of these places her home. Now, like the missionaries of old, she simply brought Jesus. She brought Jesus to wherever she was and thus created home.” 

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini, was born Maria Francesca Cabrini in 1850 in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano (Lombardy region), Italy. Although she initially felt called to serve in China, at the behest of Pope Leo XIII, Mother Cabrini came to New York to provide education and healthcare services, initially to Italian immigrants, and later, to other groups and the poor. St. Frances’ final resting place is in a glass coffin beneath the altar at the shrine. 

The shrine is one of eight pilgrimage sites designated by the archdiocese for the Jubilee Year, which ends January 6, 2026. To obtain a plenary indulgence, visitors must be truly repentant and free from attachment to sin, purified through the Sacrament of Penance, refreshed by Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. 

Julia Attaway, director of the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, said the Nights of Hope series has exceeded expectations in drawing pilgrims during the Jubilee Year. 

“These Nights of Hope, we wanted to do something that would allow people to make a pilgrimage close to home, but that was structured for them so they could do all the things they needed to get a plenary indulgence,” Attaway said. Confessions were available early in the evening, in multiple languages. 

The response has been remarkable. “We have found that the vast majority of people who come, whether we end up with 75 people or 600, that’s sort of the range we’ve worked in, want to make their confession. I believe that we’ve had more confessions heard here this year than in the past 10 years combined,” she said, attributing the increase to the Jubilee Year. 

The shrine will celebrate Mother Cabrini’s feast day on November 13 with Masses reflecting the diverse communities she served. 

“On the weekend, we have for her feast because a lot of people can only celebrate on the weekend, we have a Mass in Italian, we have a Filipino Mass. The English Mass is with Father Roger Landry. And then we have a Ugandan Mass,” Attaway said. A Spanish Mass will be held in the afternoon.

 She noted the multilingual celebrations reflect Mother Cabrini’s missionary spirit. “It’s very Cabrini. Because she wasn’t sitting waiting for people. She’s inviting. She’s drawing people in and drawing people to her.”