Cabrini, the movie about Francesca Cabrini, the first American canonized as a saint, opens Friday, at the same time her namesake university in Radnor is preparing to close, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Cabrini University is the only higher education institution founded by her order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

There are hundreds of items at the university belonging to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, to her order, or to the university.

Now, they must find new homes before Cabrini closes in June and is taken over by Villanova University.

Some items will return to the order, some to Villanova, and some, like school banners, could go to alumni, staff, and students.  

Honoring donor agreements could mean future homes for murals, plaques, portraits, and more.

“We’re just trying to do it with as much care and compassion and thoughtfulness as we can,” said Michelle Filling-Brown, Cabrini’s dean of academic affairs.

J. Eustace Wolfington, the executive producer of the Cabrini movie, spoke at a recent screening of the film, cohosted by Villanova University for its employees. 

Cabrini President Helen Drinan was at the screening and expressed her gratitude to Villanova for wanting to understand the legacy.

Find out more about what is being left behind at Cabrini in The Philadelphia Inquirer.