Bishop DiMarzio to dedicate statue of Mother Cabrini in Carroll Gardens this evening

June 11, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

This Sept. 24, 2015 file photo shows Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio as Pope Francis, right, arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File

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The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, on Friday, June 11, plans to officially unveil and bless the Diocese of Brooklyn’s very own statue dedicated to Mother Cabrini.

The statue will be permanently displayed in a shrine outside Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church at 125 Summit St., Carroll Gardens.

Just before he unveils the statue, Bishop DiMarzio will celebrate Mass at 7 p.m at the church in honor of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

An amount of $40,000 was donated to the Diocese of Brooklyn specifically to pay for the statue and the shrine. A miniature sculpture of the original church is included as part of the Mother Cabrini statue. The brick base on which the statue will stand, contains the cornerstone of the original church.

In 2019, according to news reports at the time, Bishop DiMarzio announced the start of a fundraising campaign in support of the construction of a public statue recognizing Mother Cabrini (1850-1917). The previous year, Mother Cabrini had received the most votes in the “She Built NYC” competition, which aims to build more statues honoring women.

Mother Cabrini, or St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Public domain photo via Wikimedia

However, the She Built NYC team passed over Mother Cabrini in favor of other candidates, a move that led to pushback from the city’s Catholic and Italian-American communities.

The original Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church is now the site of Mother Cabrini Park. Members of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, will be in attendance.

The plaque will read in part “A Woman Who Helped Build New York City.”

Mother Cabrini, also known as St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Italy, she came to the U.S. in 1889 and organized education classes and social services for the Italian-American poor. Carroll Gardens (then considered a part of Red Hook) was one of the areas where she did her missionary work.