Wood Plaque - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini by J. Lonneman

Frances Cabrini, the youngest of thirteen children, grew up on a farm in Italy. From her earliest days she wanted to become a missionary nun in China. Much to her disappointment, Frances was unable to join a religious order because of her poor health. A priest asked her to teach at an orphanage for girls, which she did for six years. She eventually took religious vows in 1877. When the orphanage closed in 1880, her bishop asked her to found the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children in schools and hospitals.