Cabrini

Angel Studios is set to release a new movie, based on the story of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who used her feminine genius to bring hope and healing to society’s most vulnerable, on March 8, International Women’s Day.

The film, from Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of , Cabrini shares the story of Francesca Cabrini, a poor, audacious Italian immigrant who became one of the great entrepreneurs of the 19th century. Through her willpower, courage, compassion, and business skill, she overcame sexism and violent anti-Italian bigotry while fighting against an establishment seeking to hold her back from bring hope and healing to the impoverished.

The film stars Cristiana Dell’Anna (Gomorrah, Trust), John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun, Footloose, The Old Man), David Morse (The Green Mile, The Rock, St. Elsewhere), Giancarol Giannini (Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale), and Federico Castelluccio (The Sopranos, El Cantante). The screenplay is by Rod Barr (Sound of Freedom) and the story by Barr and Monteverde.

What better date to launch a movie about the power of authentic femininity than on a day devoted to honoring the work of women in the world? Amidst the secular heroines who will be honored for promoting “reproductive rights” and “diversity,” this story about St. Frances Cabrini will stand out as the perfect example of how the feminine genius, with its nurturing and maternal spirit, can bring light into a world drowning in darkness.

This silent heroine and six other sisters of the Missionary Order of the Sacred Heart arrived in New York City on March 31, 1889. Instead of permitting her to go to China where she wanted to continue her work of caring for orphans, Pope Leo XIII urged her to go to America instead. “Not to the East, but the West,” the Pope had advised. She dutifully obeyed.

Leaving behind seven successful homes, a free school and nursey for orphans in Italy, she arrived in New York where she was greeted by disease, crime, masses of poor children, and a hostile mayor. In poor health and barely speaking the language, she refused to give up. Instead, she put her faith in God and used her entrepreneurial mind to convince the mayor to secure housing and healthcare for the poor in his city. She would eventually build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen. By the time she died on December 22, 1903, she had founded 67 institutions in New York, Colorado, and Illinois, including orphanages, schools, and hospitals.

On July 7, 1946, Pope Pius XII made her the first United States citizen to be canonized a saint. Monteverde’s Cabrini brings this incredible story to life with the same dramatic effect as he did with Sound of Freedom.

“Francesca Cabrini is one of the most inspiring and influential figures in modern history, and yet few know her story. Faced with seemingly insurmountable life obstacles, Cabrini chose instead to focus on how she could change the status quo in her time, and her impact on the world is still felt today,” said Liz Ellis, Chief Operating Officer at Angel Studios. “We’re thrilled to be able to share her unbelievable story in theaters this Spring. This will be our second collaboration with Sound of Freedom Director Alejandro Monteverde—and the Angel Guild gave this film even higher ratings than Sound of Freedom. Our community has high expectations for this project.”

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