Arrigo Park's Columbus statue to be replaced by one of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, city says

A monument of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint, will be installed in Little Italy’s Arrigo Park, according to the Chicago Park District — potentially bringing closure to the yearslong saga to replace the park's Christopher Columbus statue, which was removed by the city in 2020.

Nearly 1,500 of the 3,900 nominations were cast for Cabrini, the Park District said Wednesday. Other nominations included Renato Dulbecco, Enrico Fermi, Phillip Mazzei, Maria Montessori, Florence Scala, Antonin Scalia and Amerigo Vespucci.

Artists interested in creating the sculpture can submit an application online starting March 1.

Cabrini was an Italian-born missionary nun who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through which she helped build dozens of schools, hospitals and orphanages across the Americas and Europe. She is half of the namesake of the Cabrini-Green homes.

She was made the patron saint of immigrants in 1950, four years after more than 100,000 people attended a celebratory mass at Soldier Field for her receiving sainthood. That recognition came three decades after her death from malaria at age 67 at Columbus Hospital in Chicago, which she had founded in 1905.

“When Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini came to Chicago in 1899, she didn’t just serve immigrant families, she built institutions that transformed lives,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement. “She founded schools, orphanages, and hospitals that cared for Italian immigrants facing hardship, and she ensured that resources flowed back into the neighborhoods that needed them most. Her work reflects Chicago at its best: a city that rises by lifting others. This monument at Arrigo Park will honor her enduring legacy and all of the communities who continue to shape our city.” 

Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed the park’s Columbus statue, as well as two other Columbus statues in the city, in 2020 after they became targets of vandalism during the civic unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Columbus statue in Arrigo Park has been loaned to the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans for display in an upcoming Chicago Museum of Italian Immigration on Taylor Street. The deal is part of a settlement between the group and the Chicago Park District resolving a long-running lawsuit following the statue's removal.

The last remnants of the Columbus statue were removed from Grant Park in July, and were expected to be replaced by rotating art installations to “celebrate Chicago’s diverse communities.”

“Mother Cabrini’s dedication to advancing equity, justice and inclusivity for the marginalized immigrant communities aligns with the Park District’s promise to make parks accessible to all,” Chicago Park District General Supt. and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said in a statement.