Today I visited the Mother Cabrini Shrine with some ladies from the church social group that I joined. It was about an hour and a half drive from the city we live in, so I got to know the ladies a little bit more. One of them shares a birthday with me. Not only that, but Mother Cabrini’s feast day is also celebrated on that same day. It was all Divine Providence. Mother Cabrini dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick, immigrants and those less fortunate and was the first American Citizen to become a canonized saint. During her journeys in 1902 to visit the Italian workers and their families in the Clear Creek, Argentine, and South Park mining districts, Frances X. Cabrini discovered a property on the east slope of Lookout Mountain owned by the town of Golden. In 1909–1910, she negotiated the purchase of this property as a summer camp for her charges at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage in Denver, CO. The only water was in a small pond next to the spring house. All of the water needed for drinking and cooking had to be brought up to the summer camp from the stream at the bottom of Mt. Vernon Canyon. In September 1912, the sisters complained to Mother Cabrini that they were dying of thirst and there was no water to be had. She answered, “Lift that rock over there and start to dig. You will find water fresh enough to drink and clean enough to wash.” The spring, which is housed in an 8,000 gallon tank, has never stopped running. Many pilgrims, through their faith, believe the water has brought healing and peace to their lives. Part of the land included a staircase to the top of a hill overlooking Denver. I surprised myself that I climbed the 373 steps leading up to the top of the Mount of the Sacred Heart. At the top was a large statue of Jesus in blessing over the city. There was also a heart shaped by rocks that Mother Cabrini herself arranged. The structure is under glass for all to see. When we went into the chapel, there was a priest talking with a group of young children. As we loitered, we realized it was his homily and they were actually celebrating Mass. We stayed and were surprised at the intimate, personal prayers for the families there. At the end a boy handed out prayer cards. We then realized that we had crashed a Mass that was being celebrated specifically for a family that included a mother and father, their 6 children and 27 grandchildren. The patriarch had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. As they concluded their time, we snuck out. The time that we spent at the shrine was peaceful and energizing at the same time. I was so grateful for the day.

I Found God today experiencing the Mother Cabrini Shrine.