The City Hall of Los Angeles celebrated Mother Cabrini Day yesterday, paying tribute to Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini, patron of immigrants and central figure in the history of Italian emigration in the United States. The proclamation, which took place during the Italian-American Heritage Month, reached the end of a path promoted by the Little Italy Association of Los Angeles, led by President Anna Manunza. The recognition wanted to celebrate not only the religious figure, but also the contribution of immigrants to American life.
The ceremony was attended by municipal councilman Tim McOsker and councilman John Lee, Italian Consul General Raffaella Valentini, Mario Amalfitano, past president of the Little Italy Association of Los Angeles, and numerous members of the Italian community. Also present Sister Regina Palamara, indicated during the meeting as the last Missionary of the Sacred Heart still in California.
Manunza said that the idea of devoting a day to the Italian-American community has matured over the years. In 2023 he met John Lee at an event and told him the project. From that confrontation he started searching for a way to recognize the contribution of Italian Americans to the city and the country. The choice of Mother Cabrini came after deepening her story and seen a film dedicated to her.
“She didn’t care where we came from; she cared about what we needed,” said Manunza, recalling that Cabrini’s commitment was not addressed to a single community. The saint founded schools, hospitals and orphanages to support families and children, especially immigrants facing poverty and discrimination. His work helped to offer many families access to education and care.
The president of the Little Italy Association hoped that the anniversary will become an annual tradition in Los Angeles, to remind Italian Americans who helped build the city and the country. “Mother Cabrini did not make the difference only for Italian Americans: he did it for Los Angeles and throughout the nation,” he said.
In his speech, McOsker recalled the difficulties that Cabrini faced at a time when women had little chance to lead organizations and institutions. Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880, he traveled to carry out his mission and built schools, hospitals and orphanages. “A person, with determination and compassion, can build institutions capable of transforming the lives of thousands of other people,” McOsker noted.
For the general console Valentini, the story of Cabrini is also a history of female leadership. “It was not only a woman of faith and compassion, but a pioneer, a leader and an extraordinary example of female emancipation, long before we used this expression,” he said. Cabrini, he recalled, crossed borders and exceeded the limits imposed on women of his time. His legacy recalls values such as family, education, work, compassion and service, which accompanied generations of Italian Americans in the growth of Los Angeles.
At the celebration was present Sister Regina Palamara, the last Missionary of the Sacred Heart in California. The congregation founded by Cabrini counts about four hundred religious in the world, and its presence has given the ceremony a direct link with the mission of the founder.
Among the present there was also Rini, a descendant of Mary Teresa Rizzuto, a child left orphaned and welcomed in a family linked to the work of Cabrini. His name, Manunza told, was chosen in homage to the saint: a sign of how that story continues to live in successive generations.
To close the meeting, the musical tribute of Elisabetta Russo, accompanied by Pietro Russino, with Santa Lucia Luntana. The performance ended the ceremony with a tribute to the Italian roots and the memory of the emigrants. Mother Cabrini Day intertwined a civic celebration and a story of welcome, showing how the heritage of the saint continues to speak to today’s Los Angeles
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