DENVER ( KDVR ) — October 7 is the first Monday of the month, and that means Colorado is celebrating 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 vast and complex history.
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The day was established in 2020 after House Bill 20-1031 was signed into law, repealing the celebration of Columbus Day and replacing it with a celebration of Cabrini. The law says although Christopher Columbus is recognized as a voyager, he “had no knowledge of or contact with the area now known as the state of Colorado, providing no rationale for a Colorado state holiday in his name.”
The law’s text also notes that Columbus nearly exterminated the indigenous Taino people from Quiqueya, and contrasts his life with Cabrini’s.
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Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic church is seen, date unknown. (AP Photo)
