Do yourself a favor and take the family to see Cabrini.
The filmmakers do a great job of highlighting the plight of the immigrants, especially those from Italy, the corruption and ignorance they must face – from the streets of New York to the leaders of civic and religious organizations – and how Mother Cabrini’s courage and faith changes the world.
Unlike most films about a religious figure, this movie avoids the sappiness and frivolity that can often accompany a story of a hero led solely by their faith. There is no silliness here – only the incredible faith of a woman who knows that she is being called to something great and must constantly work against the cowards in her way.
In the end, it is a film about the dignity of all humans. It is hard to watch the film and not think about how little we have learned in the last 140 years. We still blame immigrants for crimes they do not commit. We still hear our leaders using derogatory names and even slurs to refer to those working hard to feed their families. We still struggle to understand that we are all children of God, whether or not we have the papers to prove that we belong. Mother Cabrini gets angry – and we should be angry too. Angry enough to fight for change, to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to give drink to the thirsty. That is the really miracle of the movie – you leave wanting to do more, knowing that thoughts and prayers are hardly ever enough.
Go see the film. Listen to Mother. As she says in the film, no man could do what she can. Working together, however, we can change the world.