St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Frances Xavier Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized a saint. She established a religious order that built hospitals and served thousands of poor people.
Use this novena to ask for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s intercession in your life!
About St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in 1850, in Italy. Her parents already had twelve other children before her, but only three of them lived to adulthood. Frances was born two months early, and she had fragile health her whole life.
Frances was educated at a Catholic school that was run by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. She earned a teaching certificate and graduated with high honors.
From a young age, Frances felt attracted to religious life. She tried to enter the Daughters of the Sacred Heart when she was eighteen, but her poor health was an obstacle and she was turned away.
Then, a priest asked her to teach at an orphanage school for girls, and Frances agreed. She and several other women lived in community and lived as religious sisters. In 1877, she officially made vows and took a religious habit.
Eventually, her orphanage closed and her bishop asked her to establish the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The order’s mission was to run schools for poor children and care for children in hospitals.
Frances embarked on this mission wholeheartedly. Her order established several homes and schools in its first five years.
Frances thought that her next step should be to continue this work in China and she sought the Pope’s permission. Instead, Pope Leo XIII advised her to go to the United States, where she could serve the many Italian immigrants living in poverty.
Frances arrived in New York City in 1889 with six other sisters. She immediately faced difficulties, as the house that was to be used for her orphanage was not available anymore. She and the other sisters were able to live at the Sisters of Charity’s convent, and Frances soon established an orphanage in West Park.
Despite being in an unknown land, Frances was able to do great work. She trusted deeply in God’s Providence, and He rewarded her trust by sending her the money, people, and resources she needed for her work. She had a deep prayer life and was a skilled administrator.
Over the course of her time in the U.S., Frances established 67 institutions to help care for the poor and abandoned. She worked particularly among Italian immigrants. Many of her hospitals, orphanages, and schools are still running today throughout the United States.
Frances became a United States citizen in 1909, and she died in 1917. Frances was canonized in 1946, the first American citizen to be canonized a saint.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s Feast Day: November 13th
Why Pray the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena?
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants. You can ask for her prayers if you are immigrating to a new country, or for someone you know who is an immigrant.
She is also a patron saint of hospital administrators, so you can ask for her intercession if you work in the field of hospital administration.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is also a great saint to turn to for intercession on behalf of teachers, since she spent much of her life teaching.
You can also ask for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s prayers for a premature baby, since she was born two months early herself.
You can pray the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena for any intention!
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena Prayers
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness and virtue she practiced as she lived her life suffering from poor health after being born prematurely.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you were born two months prematurely. Your early arrival left you with fragile health for the rest of your life, but you did not let your health conditions keep you from serving God faithfully.
You desired to enter religious life from a young age, but your poor health caused you to be turned away from entry into the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. You did not let this setback prevent you from responding to God’s call. Instead, you carried the cross of your poor health and waited patiently for God to open another door through which you could serve Him.
Pray for me, that I may bear my burdens as patiently as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her dedication to You and the desire to serve You fully, which she lived out in her religious vocation.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you grew up surrounded by the example of the religious sisters who taught in your school. From a young age, you were aware of a desire in your heart to serve God fully as these sisters around you did.
You attempted to enter religious life at the first opportunity, when you turned eighteen. Even though your poor health caused you to be turned away from entry, you did not abandon God’s call or your desire to serve Him. You continued on in the path of holiness and found a way to answer God’s call.
Pray for me, that I may respond as wholeheartedly to God’s call in my own life as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her service to You in the years that she worked as a teacher to instruct young children and care for them out of love for You.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent your early life surrounded by the loving example of the religious sisters who served as teachers to you and other school children. You earned a teaching certificate yourself and spent much of your life teaching.
You know firsthand how difficult, rewarding, and important it is to teach others. You knew that both instruction and holy example are essential in helping others reach holiness.
Pray for me, that I may never neglect the opportunity to teach others by my example and my words.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her service to You through acts of charity toward the poor and forgotten in our society.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent most of your life serving the poor and the abandoned. You cared for and educated orphan children, and you ministered to the sick and suffering in hospitals. You did your best to ensure that these poor and suffering were cared for and loved.
The work you devoted your life to was not always pleasant. But you carried it out joyfully for the love of God. You willingly spent your life serving Christ by taking care of the needs of your poor brothers and sisters.
Pray for me, that I may never miss the opportunity to serve God through charitable works toward others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the openness to Your will that she showed when she let go of her plan to do work in China and instead brought her missionary efforts to the United States.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you desired to serve God with your whole heart. You thought the best way to serve God in His poor would be to bring your work to China. But when you sought the Pope’s permission for this endeavor, he advised you to go to the United States instead.
Even though you had not planned to go to the U.S., you readily accepted it as God’s will for you. You dived into your new mission wholeheartedly and served God readily in His poor in the U.S.
Pray for me, that I may be as ready to do God’s will as you were, even when He calls me to do unexpected things.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love for You that she showed by leaving her home and traveling to serve immigrants in the U.S. when You called her to do so.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you left behind your home in Italy to serve Italian immigrants in the United States. You did not plan to spend your life in the U.S., but you readily agreed to go when you saw that God was calling you there.
Arriving in a new country with your other religious sisters, you encountered difficulties and hardships. But you did not dwell on those difficulties or in feelings of sadness over the home you had left behind. Instead, you dove into the task of serving God through His poor.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as faithfully as you did, even amidst hardship.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the trust in You that she lived out when she began her charitable work in the United States with very limited resources.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you came to the United States as an immigrant in an unknown land. But despite the difficulties and the lack of resources you faced, you trusted deeply in God’s Providence.
God rewarded your trust, providing you with the money and other resources you needed time and time again. Because of your love and trust in God, you were able to perform many good works and establish institutions that still exist to serve the poor today.
Pray for me, that I may trust God as deeply as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she lived out as she worked to meet the physical needs of the sick and injured.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent most of your life working among the poor. You saw firsthand the great needs of those who are sick and injured. You devoted much of your life to establishing hospitals to care for those in need of medical attention.
Your work in establishing these hospitals and caring for the sick and injured was not easy. But despite the difficulties you faced, you trusted in God and carried out your work for love of Him.
Pray for me, that I may lovingly care for all those in need that I may encounter in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that she showed in the years that she served You in the poor people of the U.S.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you did not plan to spend your life working in the United States. But when the Pope advised you to work among the Italian immigrants in the U.S., you did not hesitate to serve God in this unexpected way.
Throughout your years in the U.S., you established sixty-seven institutions to serve the poor. You worked tirelessly among immigrants and other poor people to help meet their needs for the love of God.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as tirelessly as you did throughout your time in the U.S.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.