The Church celebrates the feasts of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini on November 13, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary on November 17. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, known to many Americans as Mother Cabrini, was at first told that she was too sickly to become a sister. But she persisted. She traveled from her native Italy to the United States, where she founded hospitals, schools, orphanages, and a new religious order—the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Saint Elizabeth lived two lives united by one mission: generosity to those who had little. She was born to the King of Hungary and married to the ruler of Thuringia but showed extreme generosity and kindness to those who were sick or hungry. Her husband died on his way to one of the Crusades in the Holy Land, and Elizabeth and her children were driven from their home by her husband’s brother who seized the throne. She lived the rest of her life in service as member of the Secular Franciscan Order.
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