Hope Without Borders

Frances Cabrini (1850-1917) was a pioneering Catholic missionary who dedicated her life to serving the underserved. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an order focused on education, healthcare, and social services. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII sent her to New York City to minister to the growing population of Italian immigrants, and she quickly became a champion for their needs. Over the course of her life, she established sixty-seven institutions worldwide, including schools, hospitals, and orphanages, all grounded in her unwavering faith and commitment to human dignity. In recognition of her exceptional holiness, compassion, and tireless service, she was canonized a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1946. Four years later, she was named the Patroness of Immigrants, further cementing her legacy as a symbol of hope and solidarity for those in need.

Amy J. Cattapan is a middle-school English teacher, Catholic speaker, retreat leader, and author who has written or contributed to several books, including Sweet Jesus, Is It June Yet?, A Saint Squad for Teachers, Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade, and the award-winning novels Angelhood and Seven Riddles to Nowhere. She hosts Cath-Lit Live!, a podcast where she interviews Catholic authors about new books.
Cattapan has appeared on The Katie McGrady Show and The Busted Halo Show on SiriusXM, EWTN's Bookmark and At Home with Jim and Joy, Catholic Faith Network Live, and the Son Rise Morning Show. Her writing has appeared in Highlights for Children, Hopscotch for Girls, Pockets, and Catechist. She also served as the host for Shalom World TV's BOOK.ed.
Cattapan earned a bachelor's degree in English secondary education from Marquette University, a master's degree in instruction for secondary education language arts from Northeastern Illinois University, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University Chicago. She has spoken at a variety of conferences, including NCEA, the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, and C3, and frequently leads teacher retreats and professional development sessions at Catholic schools across the country.
She lives in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.