Our mission and values
St Frances Xavier Cabrini founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880 to be a witness of God’s love for people through compassionate action. Today, this mission reaches around the world and is present on six continents, including Australia.
Cabrini Australia strives to fulfil this commitment to the healing mission of the Catholic Church, and provide compassionate care for people in need, through our healthcare and outreach services.
Who we are
We are a Catholic healthcare service inspired by the spirit and vision of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
What we believe
We are a community of care, reaching out with compassion, integrity, courage and respect to all we serve.
What we do
We provide excellence in all of our services and work to identify and meet unmet needs.
Our values are drawn from Mother Cabrini’s life and reflect her heart, her spirit, her conviction and her approach.
Compassion: Our drive to care is not just a professional duty to provide excellent quality care but is born of a heartfelt compassion for those in need, motivated by God’s love for all people.
Integrity: We believe in the power of hope to transform people’s lives and remain faithful to the bold healing mission and legacy of Mother Cabrini.
Courage: We have the strength, determination, vision and conviction to continue the work of Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Respect: We believe every person is worthy of the utmost respect and the best possible healthcare. We know that our resources are entrusted to us to use for the benefit of others.
It is important to begin by remembering who we are, what we believe and what we do.
St Frances Xavier Cabrini, 1850-1917
Francesca Cabrini was born in northern Italy in 1850. Inspired by her deep faith in Jesus Christ, she was a woman of great compassion and courage. She saw her life as a mission to relieve suffering and serve those in need – particularly the poor and excluded.
She established health, education and care centres in the USA and Latin America, in Europe and in England, becoming an inspiration to all whose lives she touched. She was the first citizen of the USA to be canonised a saint.
At age 30, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to show God’s love for people through their compassionate action in the world. Today their mission reaches around the world, and includes Cabrini Australia.
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In 2014, Cabrini Health commissioned 'St Frances Cabrini: a passionate life' to make this remarkable woman accessible to a new generation of employees, supporters, friends and benefactors.
Our heritage story
Our Cabrini story started in 1948, when ten Cabrini Sisters arrived in Melbourne to take over St Benedict’s, a small hospital in Malvern. The journey from Italy took ten days as the plane could only fly during daylight hours. The Sisters thought they were taking over a fully functioning hospital but unfortunately, this was not so.
Without losing spirit, they worked hard to equip and make the place presentable so that they could re-open the facility. At the time, Melbourne was not the multicultural city that we know today. People were cautious of these Italian Sisters who dressed and spoke differently to the Australian religious of the time. Despite their best efforts, in the first few months there were many complaints about their strange ways.
However, the Sisters recognised there were people in need and, with courage and determination; they laid the foundation for the comprehensive healthcare service we have become today.
In 2017, we celebrated the centenary of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini MSC (1850-1917), Universal Patron Saint of Immigrants and founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 2018, we celebrated the arrival of the Cabrini Sisters and the establishment of our diverse organisation.
We celebrate our heritage each year in November, with events scheduled around the Feast of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini on 13 November. Celebrations include a Feast Day Mass, service recognition ceremonies to acknowledge service milestones reached by employees, and a commemorative service for employees, volunteers and members of our Cabrini community who have recently died.
Another significant celebration is the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which occurs seven weeks after Easter Sunday and falls on a Friday. During Mass, the Sisters renew their vows and we affirm our commitment to our shared mission.
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The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: An Overview