Novena to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini for Help and Protection
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini — also known as Mother Cabrini — is the first American citizen to be canonized. She dedicated her life to serving immigrants, the poor, the sick, and orphans. With tireless faith, she founded schools, hospitals, and orphanages across the United States and beyond.
As the Patron Saint of Immigrants, she reminds us that God’s love knows no borders. Through this novena, we ask for her powerful intercession for help, protection, and the grace to serve others with compassion and perseverance.
About Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917)
Francesca Saverio Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in Lombardy, Italy, the youngest of thirteen children. From an early age, she felt called to religious life and missionary work. Although frail in health, she possessed an unbreakable will and deep love for God.
In 1880, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Italy. Her dream was to bring the Gospel to China, but Pope Leo XIII advised her instead to go “not to the East, but to the West,” to serve the growing population of Italian immigrants in the United States.
Arriving in New York in 1889, she found poverty and hardship everywhere. Undaunted, she began building schools, hospitals, and orphanages for immigrants and the poor. Over the next three decades, she established 67 institutions across the U.S., South America, and Europe — a testimony to her energy and unwavering faith.
Mother Cabrini became a U.S. citizen in 1909 and continued her mission until her death in Chicago on December 22, 1917. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1946, becoming the first American citizen to be declared a saint, and was named Patroness of Immigrants in 1950.
Her legacy lives on in the hospitals and schools she founded, and in the hearts of those who still call upon her intercession with faith and hope.
How to Pray the Novena
- Begin each day with the Sign of the Cross.
- Read the daily reflection and prayer (to be added).
- End with this closing prayer to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini.
This novena is traditionally prayed from November 4 to November 12, leading up to her feast day on November 13. However, it may be prayed at any time of the year when you seek her help and guidance.
Prayer
Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness and virtue she practiced as she lived her life suffering from poor health after being born prematurely.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you were born two months prematurely. Your early arrival left you with fragile health for the rest of your life, but you did not let your health conditions keep you from serving God faithfully.
You desired to enter religious life from a young age, but your poor health caused you to be turned away from entry into the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. You did not let this setback prevent you from responding to God’s call. Instead, you carried the cross of your poor health and waited patiently for God to open another door through which you could serve Him.
Pray for me, that I may bear my burdens as patiently as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her dedication to You and the desire to serve You fully, which she lived out in her religious vocation.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you grew up surrounded by the example of the religious sisters who taught in your school. From a young age, you were aware of a desire in your heart to serve God fully as these sisters around you did.
You attempted to enter religious life at the first opportunity, when you turned eighteen. Even though your poor health caused you to be turned away from entry, you did not abandon God’s call or your desire to serve Him. You continued on in the path of holiness and found a way to answer God’s call.
Pray for me, that I may respond as wholeheartedly to God’s call in my own life as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her service to You in the years that she worked as a teacher to instruct young children and care for them out of love for You.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent your early life surrounded by the loving example of the religious sisters who served as teachers to you and other school children. You earned a teaching certificate yourself and spent much of your life teaching.
You know firsthand how difficult, rewarding, and important it is to teach others. You knew that both instruction and holy example are essential in helping others reach holiness.
Pray for me, that I may never neglect the opportunity to teach others by my example and my words.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her service to You through acts of charity toward the poor and forgotten in our society.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent most of your life serving the poor and the abandoned. You cared for and educated orphan children, and you ministered to the sick and suffering in hospitals. You did your best to ensure that these poor and suffering were cared for and loved.
The work you devoted your life to was not always pleasant. But you carried it out joyfully for the love of God. You willingly spent your life serving Christ by taking care of the needs of your poor brothers and sisters.
Pray for me, that I may never miss the opportunity to serve God through charitable works toward others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the openness to Your will that she showed when she let go of her plan to do work in China and instead brought her missionary efforts to the United States.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you desired to serve God with your whole heart. You thought the best way to serve God in His poor would be to bring your work to China. But when you sought the Pope’s permission for this endeavor, he advised you to go to the United States instead.
Even though you had not planned to go to the U.S., you readily accepted it as God’s will for you. You dived into your new mission wholeheartedly and served God readily in His poor in the U.S.
Pray for me, that I may be as ready to do God’s will as you were, even when He calls me to do unexpected things.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love for You that she showed by leaving her home and traveling to serve immigrants in the U.S. when You called her to do so.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you left behind your home in Italy to serve Italian immigrants in the United States. You did not plan to spend your life in the U.S., but you readily agreed to go when you saw that God was calling you there.
Arriving in a new country with your other religious sisters, you encountered difficulties and hardships. But you did not dwell on those difficulties or in feelings of sadness over the home you had left behind. Instead, you dove into the task of serving God through His poor.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as faithfully as you did, even amidst hardship.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the trust in You that she lived out when she began her charitable work in the United States with very limited resources.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you came to the United States as an immigrant in an unknown land. But despite the difficulties and the lack of resources you faced, you trusted deeply in God’s Providence.
God rewarded your trust, providing you with the money and other resources you needed time and time again. Because of your love and trust in God, you were able to perform many good works and establish institutions that still exist to serve the poor today.
Pray for me, that I may trust God as deeply as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she lived out as she worked to meet the physical needs of the sick and injured.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you spent most of your life working among the poor. You saw firsthand the great needs of those who are sick and injured. You devoted much of your life to establishing hospitals to care for those in need of medical attention.
Your work in establishing these hospitals and caring for the sick and injured was not easy. But despite the difficulties you faced, you trusted in God and carried out your work for love of Him.
Pray for me, that I may lovingly care for all those in need that I may encounter in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that she showed in the years that she served You in the poor people of the U.S.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, you did not plan to spend your life working in the United States. But when the Pope advised you to work among the Italian immigrants in the U.S., you did not hesitate to serve God in this unexpected way.
Throughout your years in the U.S., you established sixty-seven institutions to serve the poor. You worked tirelessly among immigrants and other poor people to help meet their needs for the love of God.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as tirelessly as you did throughout your time in the U.S.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini,
you remind us that holiness is found in love and service.
Strengthen our hearts when we are weary,
inspire us when we face obstacles,
and guide us always toward the Heart of Jesus.May your example of tireless charity
help us build a world filled with compassion and mercy.Amen.