🎧 AUDIO VERSION:
Paola Ciskanik is joined in this podcast with Monica Speach, author and homeschool mom, who enthusiastically shares with us about one of her personal heroes, St. Francis Cabrini, and how she not only demonstrated many (if not all) of the virtues covered in Monica’s PACE curriculum, but also inspired me to start an ESL program in her diocese.
We talk about:
- St. Frances Cabrini (her life, faith, and work with immigrants)
- the new Cabrini Movie just released by Angel Studios
- the 10 virtues to teach to your children
- the importance of introducing children to the right heroes
- choosing a Confirmation saint
- the plight of Italian immigrants at the turn of the last century
- loyalty to one’s native country while assimilating to a new one
Such a great and rich conversation, click here to LISTEN NOW !
🎁 Congrats to the Winners of our Giveaway sponsored by our friends
In light of the new Cabrini Film, Sophia Press has partnered with Angel Studios to create three noteworthy books on this profound saint: Mother Cabrini, The Mother Cabrini Devotional, and The World Is Too Small.
What is your “aha” moment from this podcast?
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Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway!!! The winners will be contacted directly!!
Loved the Mother Cabrini movie! I have loved using the PACE curriculum for teaching virtues to my kids these past few years!
So glad you saw the movie – and that you’re a PACE family!
It was interesting for me to hear that Mother Cabrini was an introvert who was able to stand up to so many people. As an introvert myself it resonated with me how sometimes we need to do what is right even if what is required of you goes against your nature. Anything is possible with the Holy Spirit.
I appreciate the conversation and the opportunity to learn about Mother Cabrini’s life and story. I was particularly interested in learning about how she made such an impact for the Italian community in the US. I like the idea about providing good heroes as role models for children to learn about. I look forward to exploring the lesson plans on teaching virtues. Much appreciation!
Great discussion! I enjoyed learning more about Mother Cabrini and will look forward to seeing the movie. I plan to homeschool for the first time next year and am already thinking about incorporating virtue teaching/discussion in our morning basket routinely.
Welcome to the homeschool community! I’m sure your children will be greatly enriched through the study of the virtues.
I was excited to hear more about the movie and am very excited to see it but I am also excited to hear about the PACE resources because I have been looking for something like that!
The idea of examining habits to see which virtues need more attention really resonated with me.
Definitely excited to start teaching virtues to my littles. I liked the part where you can usually connect a behavioral issue with a virtue!
So nice to put a face to the name! I used pace for the first time this school year and loved it! I used her list of virtues to help my children find out how to counteract their biggest Vice/sin patterns. It was kind of neat to see how they gravitated to certain virtues that actually correspond to their biggest defects. I loved hearing about Mother Cabrini and her personal connection to her. I love seeing how God ties all these little events in our life together to make a beautiful story. My husband actually played the trailer for Cabrini just yesterday and we are so excited to watch it! Nice chat ladies.
Thank you, Celi. I appreciate your kind words and am so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the PACE curriculum!
I think it’s really important to have Godly female role models. I love the encouragement. Teach heros. Teach virtues. Thank you Angel Studios for making quality Christian movies
We need the Saints!
I learned a lot about her that I didn’t know in this wonderful podcast. Like how she was born a premie, almost drowned, denied the being a nun several times before being excepted, etc. would love to dive in more and learn about her life by those books.
It is important to teach our children virtues and we can learn those virtues from the saints!
I think it’s important to teach our children virtues and the saints are a good starting point.
I love the idea that Mother Cabrini found Monica…makes me want to share that story with my kiddos so they are on the lookout for saints who might be special friends, even beyond choosing a Confirmation saint.
PS– We have been using the PACE workbook for three years now! There are so many options that we keep finding new stories to read and questions to discuss. It’s definitely an underappreciated resource in the homeschool world. Thank you for spreading the word.
Alicia, thanks so much. I put a lot of effort into the PACE curriculum – it’s so nice to hear from families that appreciate it!
My husband and I watched the movie yesterday evening. What a well-made and inspiring story it is! I loved that in the podcast Monica shared about her own journey with Mother Cabrini as her patron Saint. Like she mentioned, it makes me excited to learn more about her life. Especially, as I’m an immigrant myself.
The entire episode was really good. I especially appreciated the encouragement to teach our children virtues, and to give our children true heroes by sharing the stories of the saints with them.
Saints are the BEST heroes!
Thank you both so much for such an enlightening conversation about virtues and Mother Cabrini. I really enjoyed the conversation about immigrants (my husband is an immigrant) and how important it is to be willing to be attentive to their needs.
Our culture is being pulled in various directions about the topic of immigration, which is a sad statement given the origins of our country, so I totally resonate with how you both emphasize the need to reach out and love our immigrants, just as Mother Cabrini did. Thank you.
It was beautiful hearing how Monica’s confirmation saint was not someone she paid too much attention to, but Mother Cabrini ended up being someone she resonated with and now has a deep connection with.
My eldest in 7th grade will be confirmed this May, God willing. So hearing this comes in good timing.
Yes, I could never have guessed, when I was 11 years old, how much of an impact Mother Cabrini would have on me! And how much she would teach me (especially about the virtues) throughout my life.
The discussion demonstrates to me how purposeful we need to be in teaching virtues to our children, starting from birth.
How interesting…certain behaviors may be evidence of a lacking in a particular virtue. Going to pray on that for more revelation!
As a mama of littles, it is so helpful to learn more about virtues and how they are grown. I would love to learn even more!
It was such a good reminder and showed her strength, when it was said that Mother Cabrini never told anyone to do something that she wouldn’t do herself and that she never was afraid to talk about God to people.
I really resonated with the comment that the saints choose us ie. our Confirmation saints
I didn’t realize that all of Mother Cabrini’s accomplishments happened in such a short span of time. Also, I liked the ideas of forming virtues in children starting a very young ages.
I am amazed that Mother Cabrini was so ambitious! She didn’t let her immigrant status stop her from being an advocate for the poor.
As a mom of littles, it was interesting to hear the speaker talk about behaviors in kids and how certain ones be because they’re lacking in a particular virtue. I never thought of that before!