When Frances Cabrini began her work and founded the religious congregation of women known as the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSCs), she had no institutions, buildings, corporations or employees. She reported to no boards of trustees, nor did she worry about personnel policies, payroll, accreditation. However, she did have followers - and she always had friends.

From her early years, Frances felt that God was calling her to reach out to people worldwide. Growing in awareness of God's personal and unconditional love in her own life, she felt impelled to bring the message of God's love to others and to assist them in their needs. In the 1880s, Frances responded to this urgent desire. On fire with the Gospel's potential to touch and transform her own life and the lives of her contemporaries, she dedicated herself to living a message of love and compassion through word and work.

From the beginning there were always friends…
Frances' dynamic vision and missionary spirit began to attract followers, initially, women interested in religious life. But always, there were friends - women and men who were not interested in living religious life themselves but who understood and supported the mission and charism of Frances and her followers.

In the early days, Frances Cabrini depended on lay colleagues for moral and financial support. Sometimes the very establishment of ministries rested on the belief and good will of her lay collaborators. For example, upon her arrival in New York, Frances Cabrini relied on the abilities of Countess di Cesnola to win the Archbishop's blessing and support for the establishment of an orphanage. In another instance, Dona Elena Arellano, a woman from Nicaragua, donated her own house as a building for a convent school in Grenada, Nicaragua. And, in Italy, Countess Guendalina della Somaglia organized fundraising activities to subsidize the housing of young Catholic women studying to become teachers.

As the number of friendships and sisters grew, the works grew. Buildings, institutions, employees, international networks - and all that concerns them quickly followed. The importance of collaborative relationships increased and took on new meaning.

Early Collaborators
Closer to our time, Massimo Bassini, MD, was a foreign medical student who trained at Cabrini Medical Center, New York. Upon completion of his studies, he became a member of the medical staff and eventually Medical Director of the hospital. Beloved and respected, he extended himself beyond his duties, becoming an international advisor for the MSCs in the development of Cabrinian health care worldwide.

Robert Penn, a man of the Jewish faith, was a partner in a CPA firm in Chicago. As auditor for Columbus Hospital, he learned about Cabrini and the MSC spirit. When he retired, he remained a friend and trusted advisor for the sisters. Subsequently employed by the MSCs, he worked with them worldwide, offering financial advice, standardizing accounting procedures and planning for the future.

Collaborative relationships were important then and remain important for MSCs today, and they happen when people catch a spark of the vitality of Frances Cabrini. In earlier times, collaborative relationships with the MSCs were more informal. As time went by, the MSCs took steps to formalize these valued relationships by inaugurating a program throughout all of their institutional ministries known as Mission Integration.

The Mission Integration program is designed to communicate the spirit, the ethos, and the mission of Frances Cabrini and her legacy.

Mission Integration Today
The continuation of Frances Cabrini's mission, vision and purpose is essential to the life of MSC apostolates. We have developed several ways of sharing our legacy with others. In small direct mission services, we share mission understandings informally, primarily through the ways we develop relationships with co-workers and provide service to those in need. In larger, more complex institutions, sharing the legacy happens in more systematic ways.

In such ministries a Mission Integration program exists in order to invite various kinds of collaborators to a more conscious and meaningful partnership in the mission. It is an on-going process for employees, Boards, and others in ministry. The Mission Integration program assists people in becoming a more knowledgeable partner in the development of a Cabrinian environment in the workplace. Individuals are invited to learn about Cabrini's life and spirituality, her understanding of mission and her response to the needs of people.

Based on these understandings, Mission Integration engages in a process of values identification and clarification. Reflecting upon the Mission Statement of the MSCs and that of an individual's own institution, employees work with others to integrate key values gradually and systemically into the operational life of the organization. Such integration fosters the continuance of Cabrini's mission, vision and spirit both in the services offered, and in the lives of our employees.

Through the Mission Integration program and process, individuals become modern collaborators not only in the vision of Frances Cabrini, but also in her charism. By using their own talents, understanding and insight, individuals can make Frances' mission and charism visible today and carry it into the future.

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