Preserving more than memories
As the Shrine is being prepared for the throngs of guests and faithful who will visit starting in October, special care must be taken to preserve and display the possessions of Mother Cabrini for future generations to see and experience. So a team of preservation specialists has been hired to oversee the presentation of all artifacts on display. Bernacki & Associates have spent the last months meticulously cataloging all of the items which once occupied the original Cabrini Shrine. They are consulting on the best ways to care for these items so they are preserved to museum quality. Anyone willing to contribute to help defray the costs of this important process can contact us at admin@cabrinishrinechicago.com.
Mother Cabrini's Belongings Preserved
It was not long after Mother Cabrini's death in 1917 that her room inside
the Columbus Hospital convent began to be visited by great numbers of
pilgrims. They flocked to see the place where the saintly woman had lived
and worked. This continued after her beatification and up to the time the
chapel was built in 1955. To accommodate the large crowds, Mother's room was
relocated and preserved in an area adjacent to the Shrine entrance in the
hospital. Now, as the Shrine becomes a freestanding entity when it reopens
this fall, the reliquary room will become an integral part of the spiritual
experience of the shrine.
Architects Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson have designed a remarkable space to
display furnishings from the room where Mother's Cabrini, lived, worked and
died. Visitors can observe and pray from behind glass walls that maintain
the integrity of Mother Cabrini's original artifacts and possessions.
Built-in kneelers outside the glass enclosure allow for quiet contemplation
and prayerful devotion. Plans are in place to institute an artifact exchange
with the other Cabrini shrines in Codogno Italy, New York city, New York and
Denver Colorado. This program will allow the public to see many personal
possessions of Mother Cabrini that have never been seen in Chicago before.