It is quite rare for a reactionary figure such as a Catholic saint to receive favorable biographical treatment from the film industry as Angel Studios recently afforded St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, a 19th century Italian nun who immigrated to the United States, in its new film Cabrini.

With an obvious nod to the feminist movement, Cabrini was released on International Women’s Day and tells the story of this missionary nun from Italy who built orphanages, hospitals, and churches in New York City and all over the world, eventually becoming the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church after her death.