DENVER (KDVR) — October 7th is the first Monday of the month, and that means Colorado celebrates Cabrini Day in honor of mother Frances Xavier Cabrini.

For some, that means a day off. For others, it means learning a little more about Colorado’s extensive and complex history.

The discovery of water by a Catholic nun is called the “Miracle in the Mountains.”

The day was established in 2020 following the signing of House Bill 20-1031, which repealed the celebration of Columbus Day and replaced it with a celebration of Cabrini. The law states that while Christopher Columbus is recognized as a traveler, he “had no knowledge of or contact with the territory now known as the State of Colorado, which provides no basis for a Colorado state holiday in his name.”

The text of the law also notes that Columbus almost exterminated the indigenous Taino people of Quiqueya and contrasts his life with that of Cabrini.

According to the law, Cabrini was a “humanitarian advocate for immigrants and children” in the United States and came to Colorado in 1902. In 1905, she opened the Queen of Heaven Orphanage for girls north of Denver. In 1910, the saint founded a summer camp for the orphans of the Queen of Heaven in Mount Vernon Canyon.

On the summer camp grounds, Cabrini is credited with the “Miracle of the Mountains,” a freshwater spring that Cabrini found in the countryside. The area is now on the grounds of the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Community celebrations are planned for Monday, October 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the sanctuary and 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Denver

Cabrini was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1946, making her the first canonized saint who was an American citizen. She died in Chicago in 1917 in a hospital that she helped open in 1896.

How to Celebrate Cabrini Day in Colorado

In addition to the planned community celebrations, there are other ways to celebrate the state holiday in Colorado. First, you can take the Cabrini Day Pledge:

“This year, in the spirit of Frances Xavier Cabrini, I pledge to ____ to be kinder and more compassionate and will work to improve the community in which I live,” the pledge reads.

You can also download a Cabrini Day flag and a Cabrini Day promotion calendar on the Cabrini Day website here.

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