From the Rockies to Rome: Coloradans Walk in Mother Cabrini’s Footsteps

A recent pilgrimage sponsored by the Mother Cabrini Shrine gave local Catholics the opportunity to encounter the beloved saint whose legacy continues to shape Colorado ahead of the 80^th anniversary of her canonization.

The Colorado pilgrims visited Casa Cabrini when they arrived in Rome, meeting with leadership of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Mother Cabrini's order, and coming to know the great saint more deeply. (Photo courtesy of Mother Cabrini Shrine)

It’s no secret that Mother Cabrini holds a special place in Colorado Catholics’ hearts — the state even has an official holiday named for the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint! For some local faithful, that special meaning took on new depth as they walked in her footsteps from Golden’s Mother Cabrini Shrine across the pond to Sant’Angelo, where she was born, to Codogno, where she ministered, and even to Rome, home to Casa Cabrini.

Planned to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s canonization, the pilgrimage invited friends of the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden to encounter the saint on a deeper level. Whether it was their first time in the places where Mother Cabrini lived, worked and ministered, or their tenth, the experience was a moving one for all.

“Walking where she once walked in Italy touched me in a deeper, more personal way,” shared JoAnn Seaman, the shrine’s executive director, who has long had a deep devotion to Mother Cabrini. “Though I have visited these sacred places before, they never lose their significance — in fact, they become more meaningful. Each time brings renewed gratitude for the humble beginnings of a woman whose faith has reached across the world. And, at the heart of it all is her passionate devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus — a love that shaped every step of her mission.”

For Seaman, the most moving piece of this celebratory pilgrimage was walking alongside other pilgrims encountering Mother Cabrini for the first time.

“In Codogno and Sant'Angelo, I observed pilgrims kneel in quiet prayer in front of her heart, place their intentions under her pillow with trust, and come away visibly changed as they began to understand her spirit, her courage, her deep trust in God and her tender love for others,” she explained. “To see others fall in love with Mother Cabrini and her Missionary Sisters as I have is such a gift. It renews my own gratitude and deepens my sense of responsibility—to continue sharing her story, her mission and her enduring invitation to trust in God and to serve with love. It also reminds me that what I have been blessed to experience for so many years is truly extraordinary.”

Pilgrims visit the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Mother Cabrini's order, in Rome.

Pilgrims pose with a statue of Mother Cabrini in Sant'Angelo, where she was born.

Kyle Dyer interviews Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., for the shrine's upcoming video content.

Julie Andrews, JoAnn Seaman, Kyle Dyer and Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., pose for a selfie.

Kyle Dyer prays before a reliquary containing Mother Cabrini's heart.

Pilgrims leave petitions under Mother Cabrini's pillow in Codogno, where she ministered.

JoAnn Seaman, Father Lager and Kyle Dyer smile for a photo in Assisi.

Father Lager and Father Bob Fisher celebrate Mass at Casa Cabrini in Rome.

JoAnn Seaman kneels in prayer before a reliquary containing Mother Cabrini's heart.

(Photos courtesy of Mother Cabrini Shrine)

For Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., who has served at the shrine for years, the experience was profoundly personal.

“In my 40+ years in Denver, Mother Cabrini Shrine has been an oasis of prayer and peace for me. I have said often to the Missionary Sisters at the Shrine that Mother Cabrini has stalked me from my early years growing up on a Kansas wheat and dairy farm,” he said. “Already at 7 years old, my family came to pray at the Shrine for healing after a couple of miscarriages and my mother's fragile health. Mother Cabrini has sustained me in my vocation and service to the poor, homeless, and those searching for a deeper walk with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

With such a background, steeped in and even “stalked” by the great saint’s prayerful presence, Father Lager described the trip as a “spiritual blessing for me and the 37 pilgrims on this journey from Codogno to Rome, Italy.”

But the impact of the pilgrimage will remain not only in the hearts of those who made the journey. Thanks to Kyle Dyer and Julie Andrews, a storytelling duo with Kyle Dyer Storytelling, which has supported the shrine for years, it will also live on in special video content highlighting Mother Cabrini’s ministry, legacy and impact. The videos will be released throughout the anniversary year, offering viewers the opportunity to encounter Mother Cabrini more deeply.

“I’ve always believed in the power of stories,” Dyer told the Denver Catholic. “This felt like the right story to tell at the right time: capturing what Coloradans would uncover about our ‘Colorado Saint’ in this, the 80th year since her canonization.”

The project was a daunting one, “but the outcome was beyond what we could have hoped for,” Dyer said. “I will never forget the stories I encountered — not just in what people said, but in the quiet moments in between.”

Through pilgrimage and conversation, Dyer recounted one pilgrim noting, Mother Cabrini “no longer feels distant or symbolic. Because of this trip, she is no longer a woman of mystery — she is a woman of history: present, human, tangible.”

As the Church remembers St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her incredible legacy 80 years after her canonization, she still has much to teach the faithful from the foothills of Golden to sprawling metropolises to small villages around the world.

“Whether in Italy, at her shrines in New York City or Chicago, or here in the foothills of Golden, I encourage everyone to seek her out. Mother Cabrini continues to inspire and renew faith across generations as she gently continues to guide us all to the Heart of Jesus,” Seaman concluded.

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Be sure to follow Mother Cabrini Shrine to receive the stories, reflections and video highlights from the pilgrimage throughout the 80^th anniversary year of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s canonization. Sign up for the shrine’s email newsletter on their website by scrolling to the bottom of the page and filling out the form there.