Eustace wolfington biography of alberta

The seed for “Cabrini,” the soon-to-be-released biopic of America’s first saint, was planted nearly seven decades ago by a young man in a small church in Philadelphia.

The year was 1955 and J.

Eustace Wolfington was just starting out in business. Born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love, he was 23 years old at the time.

A devout Catholic, Wolfington was hoping to fit in an early-morning Mass before the start of a long workday.

By chance, he chose St. Donato Church, where he encountered a statue of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who founded the parish’s school in 1912.

Wolfington had never heard of Cabrini but was so intrigued by her remarkable story that he accepted the pastor’s invitation to attend a nine-day novena in her honor.

Transformed by the experience, he embraced Mother Cabrini as his personal patroness.

“She was a great entrepreneur, and I was going into business, so I chose her as my role model,” recalls Wolfington, notin