Biography on incredible nun, St. Frances Cabrini, coincides with the release of movie about her heroic life

SAN FRANCISCO — St. Frances Cabrini desired to be a missionary and her life certainly played out in that way, but it was all according to God’s plan, not hers. TOO SMALL A WORLD: THE LIFE OF MOTHER FRANCES CABRINI (Ignatius Press) is a compelling, authoritative biography that chronicles the astounding life of a petite Italian-born religious sister, Frances Cabrini, who, with the heart of a missionary, conquered all odds to become the first American citizen canonized as a saint. The book coincides with the recent release of “Cabrini,” Angel Studios’ critically acclaimed movie on the remarkable life of Mother Cabrini.

The story of St. Frances Cabrini, a little Italian nun whose light shown across the Atlantic by the time her mission was complete, is the antidote to a culture that cannot distinguish the truth from the lie. TOO SMALL A WORLD shows how the love and determination of St. Frances Cabrini changed the world in the best possible way. She once said, “The world is too small … I would like to embrace it all, to reach every corner.” And, against all odds, she did, becoming the first American citizen canonized a saint.

TOO SMALL A WORLD, originally published in 1945, is written by Theodore Maynard (1890-1956). Maynard was an eminent English-born biographer, historian and literary critic who wrote over twenty books on Catholic history and countless articles. He was a convert to Catholicism, strongly influenced by G. K. Chesterton’s book Orthodoxy.

TOO SMALL A WORLD traces Cabrini’s journey from her humble beginnings in northern Italy to her pioneering mission across the United States to serve the poor and the sick on a massive scale. Between her work with immigrants (in New York, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans, and beyond); her building of schools, orphanages, and hospitals; and her founding of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Cabrini’s entrepreneurial work would change the course of American history, marking it with Christ’s mercy.

“Saint Frances Cabrini was once so famous that popes and presidents knew her name, and even prisoners at Alcatraz mourned her passing,” said Dawn Beutner, author of The Leaven of the Saints. “We need Theodore Maynard’s biography today to remind us how a tiny but unstoppable religious sister overcame discrimination and her own poor health to become a missionary for Jesus Christ — and a saint.”

For more information, to request a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Father Joseph Fessio, founder and editor of Ignatius Press and spokesperson for TOO SMALL A WORLD, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.

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