Cabrini foundressdies; legacy lives on

was prayer that brought about her to open the doors of Cabrini College in 1957.

At the age when traditionally a person would retire, Mother Infante, 60, was planting the seed that would take firm bold and root itself in the rich Radnor soil. Thirty-two women made up the first graduating class. Cabrini College bas grown much since that time. It now boasts an enrollment of over 2,(X)().

Born Anna Lawrence on Feb. 18, 1897, she was adoptedby a well-to-do family from Brooklyn, N.Y. She was educated in Catholic schools and entered theconvent on July 21, 1915.

Mother Frances Cabrini, now Saint Frances Cabrini, founder of the order, accepted Mother Infante into theorder.

Mother Infante, a persistent woman of a little morethan5 feet in height, broke genderbarriersduring a time when thewoman'splace was believed to be outsideof the classroom. She completed degrees in pharmacy and education at Fordham University, New York City, and eamed a master's degree in education from Columbia University,

New York City, by the mid 1920s.

She taught in the Catholic school system of New York City, eventually becoming principal. Though her job of being a principal was important, the powers of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart had other plans. The order saw Mother Infante as an innovator and sent her to the Philadelphia suburbs to petition the archbishop to open another Catholic college with order's name behind it.

Archbishop John Cardinal O'Hara turned Mother Infante away, arguing that there was no need for another college. Her opinion differed.

Mother Infante visited the surrounding Catholic colleges and met with the presidents. She asked if they would object to the formation of another college. Mother Infante returned to the archbishop's office with approval and left with a new college.

Named for the patroness of the order,CabriniCollege was led by Mother Infante for 10 years. During an eraof. twnultuous change in the Catholic Church,Cabrinioffered young women a post-secondary Catholic education under the strict and watchful eye of Mother Infante, arguably an unshakable pillar.

Mother Infante was transferred in 1967 to direct Cabrini-on-theHudson Retreat House, West Park, N.Y. She returned to the college in 1984 and was charged with translating over a thousand of Saint Cabrini's letters from Italian to English. She also published a book containing the translated letters.

After her retirement from the college, Mother Infante continued to be a beacon of inspiration for college students, staff, volunteers and handful of other visitors to the nursing home up her last minute. She had a love for the orchestra and the performing arts and would frequent the Academy of Music. She was an avid rummy and poker player and was rarely known to lose a hand. She claimed that beer was the key to her longevity.

Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, president, visited with Mother Infante the abemoon of herdeath.Iadarola recalled that she was ''very zesty and quite alert." She also spiritual formation of the student," mentioned--Mother-.IDfaate's.-love-,-Iadarola said "She was teaching for the students. ''She tdked about right to the end." education of the heart and the