January 16 - 22, 2023

Mindfulness

healing from long-time illness

learning to

life without spiraling off into judgments of good or bad, but by simply being present. Mindfulness also means becoming a better listener instead of trying to "fix" people, and it entails expressing gratitude for what we have.

Voice of the streets – Op-ed

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was the first U.S. citizen to become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and her work among Italian immigrants in Chicago has many lessons for today. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of her canonization, a statue was unveiled in the courtyard of Holy Name Cathedral. Rotblatt Amrany Studio, which has done statues of other famous Chicagoans, such as Harry Caray, Ernie Banks, Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas, talks about what went into the process.

The Playground

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

All That Jazz!

‘Chicago’

After 25 years, "Chicago" is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. No wonder "Chicago" has been honored with 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy®, and thousands of standing ovations. As the musical celebrates its 25th anniversary — you’ve got to come see why the name on everyone’s lips is still…"Chicago." Playing January 17 - 29 at CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday - Friday, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, with special performances at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, January 22 and 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 25. Tickets start at $26.50 at broadwayinchicago.com

A Little Magic Can Take You A Long Way!

‘Matilda the Musical’ 80th Annual Dolphin Show

In its 80th year, Dolphin, the largest student-produced musical in the country, presents Roald Dahl’s “MATILDA the Musical.” Based on Dahl’s timeless novel, this story of an extraordinary girl who uses her brilliant mind and imagination to change her destiny comes to life on the stage. Packed with high-energy dance numbers, catchy songs, and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, "MATILDA" is a joyous celebration of youth on stage. Catch this production in Northwestern’s Cahn Auditorium January 20-28 at 7:30 p.m. Friday & Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. General admission seating is $25 at www.nudolphinshow.org

Feast Like Royalty!

Chicago Restaurant Week

Chicago Restaurant Week is a 17-day celebration of the city’s award-winning culinary scene running from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, February 5. The 16th annual event brings together more than 300 of the city’s top restaurants, representing a near-endless array of cuisines. During Chicago Restaurant Week, diners can enjoy special prix fixe menus from restaurants throughout Chicago and nearby suburbs. These multi-course meals are $25 for brunch or lunch, and $42 and/or $59 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity). Reservations are not required, but highly encouraged. For a full list of participating restaurants, visit choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week

Soundtrack: Daniel Lamar & The Storytellers

Art to Music!

Contemporary sound-based artists transform the Museum of Contemporary Art experience with custom soundtracks reflecting their perspective of works on view in the museum. For this Soundtrack, Daniel Lamar & The Storytellers perform original arrangements in response to the exhibit “Enter the Mirror.” Originating in African American communities in the 1950s, soul music is defined by its roots in rhythm and blues and gospel. Soul music has transcended the times by being one of the most popular ways to paint pictures through lyrics, spirit, and soul’s freedom of expression. Lamar brings all these elements together while adding his own flare, with hints of funk, to tell his side of the story through song and soul. Sunday, January 22, 2-3:30 p.m., included with MCA admission, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Compiled by Dave Hamilton & Suzanne Hanney

Puppetmasters!

The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest of its kind in North America and will return January 18-29 at venues large and small throughout the city. This year, the 12-day Chicago Puppet Festival is ready to astonish and delight with contemporary puppet acts and artists from 10 countries – Brazil, Canada, Czechia, Finland, France, Norway, Japan, South Africa, Spain and the United States – namely New York, Boston and, of course, Chicago. For a full list of performances and to purchase tickets, visit chicagopuppetfest.org

Fusing Traditions!

Jazz with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., hosts two nights of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with Wynton Marsalis January 27 and 28. The January 27 performance will be “Fusing Traditions” with special guest Naseer Shamma on the oud, featuring new works by Marsalis, Shamma and other JLCO members in a celebration of Arab music and the tradition of swing – a collaboration like no other. On January 28, “The Best of Duke Ellington” will be packed with masterpieces from his lifetime: “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood Indigo” and more.

Tickets and info at cso.org/jazzcyo

A Pop Icon!

‘Andy Warhol In Iran’

In 1976, the artist Andy Warhol, having re-invented himself as the portrait painter of the rich and famous, travels to Tehran to take Polaroids of the Shah of Iran’s wife. Amidst taking in the Crown Jewels and ordering room service caviar, Warhol encounters a young revolutionary who throws his plans into turmoil, and opens the pop icon’s eyes to a world beyond himself. January 19 - February 19 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie. Sundays at 2:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 1 & 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 2:30 & 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35 at northlight.org

Celebrate M L K!!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance

“So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind—it is made up for me,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his “Give Us the Ballot Address” May 17, 1957 in Washington, D.C. “I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact—I can only submit to the edict of others.”

Shriver Center on Poverty Law CEO Audra Wilson, a public interest lawyer and teacher, policy shaper, community mobilizer and executive manager, will speak from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, January 17 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., and on Zoom. Also giving remarks will be the DePaul College of Law Racial Justice Initiative’s Manoj Mate, associate professor of law and faculty director; and Nathan Bennett Fleming, racial justice fellow. Register by January 16 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-mlk-remembrance-tickets-479959891957

Chicago's Got Talent!

New Faces Sing Broadway 1951

Now in its eighth season, Porchlight Music Theatre’s "New Faces Sing Broadway" series returns, taking audiences on a musical journey from the start to the finish of an entire Broadway season in 90 minutes. Host David Girolmo will introduce the audience to the next generation of Chicago music theatre artists while serving as the guide to the stars, songs and stories of the past. "New Faces Sing Broadway 1951" includes hit songs from the golden age of Broadway musicals including “Guys and Dolls,” “The King & I,” “Paint Your Wagon” and others. The show takes place Monday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. in Evanston and Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario St. Single tickets to the performance at Evanston SPACE are $37 and at The Arts Club are $70. The Arts Club performance includes a pre-performance cocktail hour including appetizers, wine and soft drinks starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Russ: All right, fellas, so it’s heating up. And the season of single-digit weather is doing nothing to slow it down! So, as of today, the 4 NFC division winners are the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49’ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles, with the wildcard teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and the Green Bay Packers. Over in the AFC, so far we have only 2 division winners: Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. The breakdown of all of this is madness. There’re some very good teams out here.

Patrick: Agreed. I do know I’m looking forward to this playoffs season. This may be one of the toughest years to predict…but I, also, believe it’s going to be one of the most exciting. Easily.

Donald: Agreed. Even without the Bears, I can’t wait to see what goes down.

John: I’m with you all. This year’s playoffs is wide open. It’s no longer about who’s the best team; now, it’s more who’s the hottest or, even, the healthiest. At the moment, the healthiest teams moving forward are the Los Angeles Chargers and the Green Bay Packers.

Russ: Ooh. – so, have you just named your Super Bowl matchup?

John: Well, I’ll say I believe both of those teams have a great shot at advancing deep into the playoffs, whereas a team who has been dominating this entire season—the Philadelphia Eagles—is breaking down. I believe the AFC will have a tougher time narrowing down the field. There’re three teams at the top of the conference with outstanding quarterbacks: Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes, and the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen.

Donald: Very evenly matched. Any of those teams could pull it out—at least make it to the Super Bowl.

John: Because of the evenness of these three teams, it’s the clutch play of Joe Burrow that tips the scales in Cincinnati’s favor. So, my AFC pick is the Cincinnati Bengals.

Russ: Okay. Nice breakdown. Got me thinking about some

things. That said, I’m going to roll with the Kansas City Chiefs coming out of the AFC. I do like the Bengals as well. I’m probably not as solid with my AFC selection—especially with the Chiefs’ less-thanstellar defense—as John is with his; however, I’m sticking with K.C.

Patrick: Who’re they matched up against in the Super Bowl?

Russ: Again, this is tough considering we’re not completely set in the seedings; with that, though, I’m going with the San Francisco 49’ers to beat Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers…and earn that trip to the Super Bowl.

Donald: Against Kansas City?

Russ: Yep.

Patrick: John, who do you have the Bengals taking on in the Super Bowl?

John: If the Philadelphia Eagles can get it together, which means quarterback Jalen Hurts is not hurt and ready to go, then they have a very good shot to make it happen. However, because that’s so wishy-washy, I’m going with the 49’ers.

Patrick: Who wins?

John: Joe Cool Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals over the San Francisco 49’ers .

Russ: Chiefs over the 49’ers.

Patrick: Straight to the point: Philadelphia Eagles over the Buffalo Bills.

Donald: So, you wanna know what’s going on, huh? Well, I’m not picking this year. I’m just going to enjoy these playoffs big-time. That’s what’s really going on.

Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org

Rashanah Baldwin

Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Why you should give the gift

by Jeremy David Engels

The start of another year can feel magical to many of us. Even though the days remain short and dark, the flip of the calendar can make it seem new beginnings with new resolutions are possible.

Mindfulness scholars and teachers like me call resolutions “habit breakers,” as they can overcome patterns that no longer serve individuals. However, research suggests that many resolutions fail by the end of January.

But a key to ensuring that resolutions stick is to choose one that will make a meaningful difference in your life. Seeing a real, tangible benefit can provide inspiration to keep going when all of life is telling us to let things go back to how they were before.

Living more mindfully is a common New Year’s resolution. This year, try gifting it to others.

The meaning of mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to have a number of meaningful health benefits – it can help reduce anxiety and promote healing in those suffering from long-term chronic illness.

The practice is based on an insight first described by ancient Buddhist texts that human beings have the capacity to observe experience without being caught up in it. This means, simply and wonderfully, that it is possible to observe ourselves having a craving, or a happy thought, or even a scary emotion, without reacting in the moment in a way that amplifies the feeling or sends the mind spiraling off into thinking about old memories or anticipating events.

This practice can help calm the mind and the body as we learn not to react to experience with likes and dislikes or judgments of good and bad. It does not make us cold or apathetic but more fully present.

(1) About the Author

Jeremy Engels is professor of communication arts and studies at Penn State University and a yoga and mindfulness teacher who explores the rituals of oneness that humans have developed to affirm their connectedness.

Engels’s scholarship investigates how human beings talk about oneness and interconnectedness – and how oneness goes wrong – becoming exclusionary, an engine of resentment, an excuse for enemyship, conflict, violence and war. He examines rhetorics, rituals and practices that might lead to a more democratic, ethical enactment of oneness. His latest book, “The Ethics of Oneness: Emerson, Whitman and the Bhagavad Gita”, (University of Chicago Press: 2021) draws on the idea that individuals are fundamentally interconnected in their shared divinity. Lessons of oneness espoused by Whitman, he says, can counter pervasive American ideals of hierarchy, exclusion, violence and domination.

Jeremy David Engels and his wife Anna at San Raphael Swell, Utah (courtesy photo).

gift of mindfulness this year

(2) Bad Listeners

Most of us take listening for granted. Yet Clay Drinko, Ph D says in an online story for Psychology Today that 96 percent of respondents to one study said they were always good listeners, while a second study showed that we retain only about half of what people say to us. And this is right after they say it, not a matter of longterm memory.

We spend about 45 percent of our communication time listening and 30 percent talking. We’re often spending our listening time thinking about what we’re going to say next or, worse still, thinking about something else entirely.

Deep listening is an immersive experience. You can’t be distracted. You can’t be thinking about yourself. All your focus has to be on the other person, their body language, subtle cues about what they’re really trying to say, and not just on their words.

Ximena Vengoechea takes a deep dive into listening in her beautifully illustrated and comprehensive book “Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Conversation” (Penguin, 2021). She explains what deep listening entails and what happens when we give listening short shrift: misunderstanding.

When we make assumptions or aren’t fully engaged with our conversation partners, misunderstandings are much more likely to occur.

Think about it. When someone interrupts you, how does it make you feel? When someone assumes they know what you’re going to say or finishes your sentence, what’s that like?

How can we improve our listening?

1. Don’t Assume Leave your assumptions at the door. Even if you think you know where a conversation is headed.

2. Be Curious Instead of grinning and bearing it, find something to be genuinely curious about.

3. Ask Questions

4. Stop Making Everything About You Instead of bringing up personal anecdotes, try to keep the conversation about the topic at hand. If your friend is talking about their dog, you definitely don’t need to talk about your dog because the conversation is about your friend’s dog. Not your dog. Got it?

5. Allow Silence Rapid-fire conversations can feel lively and engaging, but they don’t leave the space for everyone to share their thoughts. Pause and wait if you want someone to say more.

6. Monitor Body Language

7. Clarify Make sure you’re on the same page by asking if you’re on the same page. Do I have that right?

8. Remove Distractions At the very least, give people your undivided attention. Keep your phone in your pocket and do not try to multitask.

Here are three games from Drinko's book “Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm Down, Stop Spiraling, and Embrace Uncertainty,” (Tiller Press, 2021) that will help you boost your listening.

1. Yes, And

If you want to make sure you’re listening, try repeating the gist of what someone has said to you and then adding onto that topic. Is it clunky? It can be. But it’s the kind of drill that’s going to force you to beef up that listening.

2. Teach Me, Sensei

To get out of your head and force yourself to be more curious when in conversation, pretend everyone else is a wise old teacher, and you’re just trying to collect some wisdom nuggets. When you listen to learn, you’re much more likely to stay focused and engaged.

3. Hard-Hitting Reporter

Journalists are known for asking open-ended questions and getting their interviewees to spill all the beans, so why not pretend you’re a reporter? The next time you’re losing focus, grab an imaginary microphone and get to the bottom of whatever it is your conversation partner is saying.

Can better listening change the world?

If our listening skills were as good as we thought they were, we would have fewer arguments. More people would feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas. In turn, we’d all feel more understood.

So instead of focusing on how we can talk to make people want to listen, let’s address the disconnect head-on. Take simple steps to improve your own listening. Be the example at work and at home for the kind of listening that makes people feel appreciated and valued.

Clay Drinko, PhD

Mindfulness in a distracted world

One of the challenges of practicing mindfulness in our contemporary world is that there has been a profound transformation in human attention. The artist Jenny Odell argues that in our “attention economy” human attention has been transformed into a commodity that big corporations buy and sell. This economy rests on a technological revolution of mobile phones and social media that makes it possible for corporations to reach us with content that can capture and monetize our focus, at every moment, every day, and no matter where we may be.

The needy little devices most people carry in their pockets and wear on their wrists, incessantly beeping and buzzing and chirping, are a perpetual diversion from the present moment. The result is that it can feel as though our ability to focus, and be fully present, has been stolen.

But mindfulness can help us resist the attention economy and savor the things that make life special, like being together with those we love.

The constant need to check our phones keeps us from being fully present (Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images photo).

(3) The Value of Gifts

“Thanks” (Houghton Mifflin, 2008) is a scientifically groundbreaking, eloquent look at how we benefit – psychologically, physically, and interpersonally –when we practice gratitude. It’s a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked.

In “Thanks,” Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor at the University of California Davis and a leading scholar of the positive psychology movement, draws on the first major study of the impact of gratitude, of wanting what we have. He shows that a systematic cultivation of this underexamined emotion can measurably change people’s lives.

People who regularly practice grateful thinking can increase their set-point for happiness by as much as 25 percent. Such increases can be sustained over a period of months, challenging the previously held notion that our set-point is frozen at birth. Keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can result in better sleep and more energy.

(4) Precious Gift

In “The Art of Gratitude” (SUNY Press, 2019), Jeremy David Engels explores the idea of gratitude from the ancient Greeks to the contemporary self-help movement. Consistently, it is described as “indebtedness.” Engels contends that this is to make us more comfortable living our lives in debt, which pacifies us as citizens so that we are less likely to speak out about social and economic injustice. He proposes an alternative art of gratitude-as-thanksgiving that is inspired by Indian philosophy, particularly the yoga philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita. He argues that this art of gratitude can challenge neoliberalism by reorienting our politics away from resentment, anger, and guilt and toward a democratic ethic of thanksgiving and the common good.

The gift of mindfulness

While most mindfulness research focuses on the individual benefits of the practice, scholars like me argue (1) that we not only practice mindfulness for ourselves but that we can also practice it for others. It can help us build stronger, healthier relationships.

The sad truth is that living in the attention economy, most of us have become bad listeners (2). However, just as it is possible to watch ourselves having an experience without reacting, it’s possible to watch another person have an experience without getting tied up in reactivity and judgment. It’s possible simply to be present.

The gift of mindfulness is a practice of listening with compassion to another person describe their experiences. To give this gift means putting away your phone, turning off social media, and setting aside other common distractions. It means practicing being fully present in another person’s presence and listening to them with complete attention, without reacting with judgment, while resisting the urge to make the interaction about you.

If we judge the value of gifts based on how much they cost (3), this gift may seem worthless. But in a distracted world, I argue, it is a precious one (4)

It is not a gift that you will wrap, or put inside a card; it’s not one you will have to name as a gift or draw attention to. It’s something you can do right now.

Jeremy David Engels is a yoga instructor, author, and professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University. Courtesy of The Conversation.

The late Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh leading a meditation walk (Steve Cray/South China Morning Post via Getty Images photo).

Mother Cabrini: a woman for our times op-ed

by Ron Polaniecki

Recently, a new sculpture of St. Frances Xavier (“Mother”) Cabrini (1850-1917) was unveiled in the courtyard of Holy Name Cathedral, located at State and Superior streets.

“The occasion, in part, was the conclusion of a ‘jubilee year’ celebrating the 75th anniversary of Cabrini’s canonization [she is the first American citizen saint]. And, in part, it is to recognize a Chicago-based woman who was indefatigable in her service to immigrants at the turn of the century,” says the Rev. Greg Sakowicz, rector of Holy Name Cathedral.

Her relevance is obvious in these times of immigration challenges. And her historic importance is confirmed by her inclusion in such works as "Chicago and the American Century, The 100 Most Significant Chicagoans of the Twentieth Century" (Contemporary Books, 1999) by Richard F. Ciccone, and her listing in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, N.Y.

Francesca Cabrini was born prematurely in 1850, outside Milan, Italy, and was sickly throughout her life. Young Cabrini’s goal was to become a missionary to China. However, she was turned away from two religious orders because of her frail condition. Undaunted, Cabrini founded her own group, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (at a time when missionaries were almost exclusively male).

A path filled with twists and turns led her to Chicago where she founded, and then taught, at the Assumption School for Italian immigrant children, originally at 317 W. Erie St. It opened in 1899 with 500 children, and upon Cabrini’s insistence, it was free of charge.

The needs of her fellow Italians in Chicago grew rapidly as Chicago’s Italian-born population rose from 5,700 in 1890, to 16,000 in 1900, and to 45,000 in 1910. Like so many other immigrants, they lived in vastly overcrowded housing and worked for meager wages. One particular challenge faced by Italians was the lack of government or philanthropic agencies to advocate for them. Atypical of the times, Cabrini encouraged her sisters to teach young women industrial arts that would help them support themselves.

In addition to schools, hospitals were needed. Though lacking a healthcare background, her tireless zeal led to the founding of Columbus Hospital in Chicago, at first in Lakeview, and then Columbus Extension, located in a low-income neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side.

Even at a relatively young age, Cabrini was noted for organizational skills – and business instincts. For example, in purchasing the site for Columbus Hospital, she suspected the sellers were being dishonest. At 5 a.m., Cabrini and a fellow sister measured the land parcel themselves and discovered they were being cheated. Faced with the facts, the transaction was corrected.

Another example was her purchase in 1917 of a 102-acre farm in Park Ridge, near Northwest Highway and Dee Road. Her plan was to supply fresh milk, eggs, and chickens to the hospitals and orphanages she had established, according to Milton E. Nelson's, "Milestones of Park Ridge" (Ampersand, 2016).

However, the other part of Cabrini’s legacy was walking the streets of the Italian district, consoling families, and delivering a message of faith in God to the needy residents. She never tired of asking for funds for the poor and advocating for the marginalized. Her simple motto was, “I can do all things in Jesus who strengthens me.”

Cabrini’s reputation grew. Over the years, she and her sisters founded 67 missions in many American cities, such as New Orleans, Seattle, Colorado mining towns; and in Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, and other nations.

As remarkable as Cabrini was, in her own realm, so, too, is co-sculptor, Lou Cella. Rotblatt Amrany Studio of Fine Art, Highwood, Ill., is his arena.

While Cella’s name is not well known, his works are. They include the sculptures of baseball legends Harry Caray, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo outside of Wrigley Field. And Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko at Guarantee Rate Field. And football hall-of-famer Bart Starr for the Green Bay Packers Heritage Trail, plus numerous other famous sports heroes.

While Cella acknowledges that he never sculpted a saint, he said he felt connections to Cabrini. He noted that he was raised Catholic, is a Chicagoan, and is part Italian. Further, he adds, his mother-in-law was an immigrant from Mexico.

Each subject is unique, Cella said. In this case, the goal was to depict Mother Cabrini reaching out from her heart (hence one hand is on her heart) with a deep concern for all people.

“The attention to details and personal touches, which is a hallmark of our studio work, is apparent in the fabric of the habit, her cross and ring,” Cella continues. “Also, she is stepping through delicate violets, which were her favorite flower.

“Cabrini did not check anyone’s credentials before she would help them,” Cella added. “And she had this special focus on immigrants as she was an immigrant herself.” She became a U.S. citizen in 1909.

Co-sculptors Lou Cella and Jessica LoPresti working on the Cabrini Statue. The St. Frances Xavier Cabrini statue in the courtyard of Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St. (All photos by Rotblatt Studio of Art).

Co-sculptor Jessica LoPresti, also an artist at the renowned Rotblatt Amrany studio, was, like Cella, new to saints. Like Cella, LoPresti is a Chicagoan, of Italian heritage on her father’s side, and was raised a Catholic.

A behind the scenes tidbit: LoPresti modeled a habit that was similar to what Cabrini wore. “This helped us capture the pose, the folds of the fabric, the delicate checkered pattern of the veil and other details.”

The statue was made possible by a donation from Dr. Carol Christianson, a former nurse for many years at Columbus Hospital as well as a missionary in service overseas.

LoPresti adds, “Cabrini’s message is relevant to our current society, which could benefit from having more compassion and care for others.”

Mother Cabrini passed away in Chicago in 1917 and her room is part of the National Shrine of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini in Lincoln Park.

Ron Polaniecki is president of Chicago Shares.

The Story Behind Cabrini’s Namesake Housing

Every Chicagoan knows that the story of the city, and hence, the legacy of many notable Chicagoans is intertwined with its neighborhoods, some of which have been associated with specific immigrant national identities.

For example, the Genoese Italians settled on the Near North Side as early as the 1850s, and were fruit peddlers and workers in saloons and restaurants, later owning fruit stores in the area of Franklin, Wells and Orleans streets, between Grand and Chicago avenues. In this vicinity, the Genoese established the Church of the Assumption in 1881, the site of Mother Cabrini’s first school in Chicago.

Italians from Lucca (central Italy) worked in the plaster shops around Division street and Clybourn avenue. Sicilians came in the first decade of the 20th century to the area west of Wells Street and east of the Chicago River.

Twenty-five years after Cabrini’s death, in 1942, the Cabrini Townhomes were built in this neighborhood, “in her honor, because they were the kind of style that Cabrini would have found most appropriate” as stated on the website of the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Lincoln Park. The remaining rowhouses and flats contain one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units.

Then in 1962, the William Green Homes were built in the same general area as part of urban renewal: a push for high-rise, affordable public housing in the area between Halsted and Larrabee streets, Clybourn and Chicago avenues and Orleans street. The whole complex was known as Cabrini-Green, which housed more than 15,000 residents at its peak, but which also had a reputation for crime.

The rowhouses are the last remaining parcels of the 3,607-unit Cabrini-Green development. The last high-rise was demolished in 2011 and the area was redeveloped.

(CHA photo)

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New vendor orientation is every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at 2009 S. State St. Find your nearest vendor at www.streetwise.org