NEW YORK CITY,1889
Please help me!. My mother is dying!
My mother, she's dying!
She's outside.
My mother is dying, please help!
She's dying! Help her! She's my mother, help her!
Where are you taking her?
I'm fine.
It was just one of those e nights..
Mother Cabrini, are you sure?
I'm fine, Concetta.
Thank you.
Mother!
A telegram! From the Vatican!
I should leave for Rome at once.
It is an invitation...
not an approval.
Mother Cabrini
Your Eminence, thank you for this chance to state my case --
In fact, you've already s stated your case eleven times.
Your Eminence, an explosion of poverty is ripping through Asia,.
hitting children hardest, in China --
Mother, this office has responded
to your proposal. many times, to no avail.
So we felt it necessary to deliver.
that same response in person.
Your Eminence, if I could --
You're building an orphanage in Lombardy, are you not?
Good.
Then continue your good work there.
Stay where you belong, Mother.
Signora...
Your daughter is very weak
and will be so as long as she lives.
She almost drowned in that river.
Now her bed will be her life.
That is where she belongs.
Your Eminence
Mother Cabrini
This decision..
is it yours or the Holy Father's?
assure you there is no difference.
If there is no difference..
I'd like to hear it from His Holiness Himself.
Or I'll be forced to keep writing letters.
Your Holiness
For one little woman, you make a lot of noise.
Your Holiness,
want to found a network of orphanages. first, throughout China --
You have stated your case exhaustively.
But I'm told you want to hear. the final verdict directly from me.
Lombardy is the scope of your work.
Now, His Eminence
tells me that this is your first trip to Rome...
your first trip out of Lombardy for that matter.
Charming.
I do encourage you to take a few days,
visit the museum, see the sights --
Is it because. I am a woman?
Is that why I must t limit my scope?
There has never been an independent order of missionary women..
Wasn't it Mary Magdalene who brought news of the Resurrection to the Apostles?
If God confided such a mission to a woman.
why should He not confide in us?
May I remind you that His Holiness has the power
to censure or even disband --
Just a moment, Silvio.
Why China, Cabrini?
Because we've forgotten the East.
I shall start in Peking and move west..
and create a body of charities that t will reach into Afghanistan, then into Persia --
So...
you intend to build...
...a worldwide order!
Your Holiness
the world is too small for what I intend to do.
See what I mean?
And you have sufficient funds to..
...conquer the world?
Had I waited for sufficient funds.
would have built nothing.
Not my schools,. nor my orphanage in Co dog no.
Begin the mission. and the means will come.
Your Holiness,
may I remind you of your next. appointment?
Rearrange.
I'm having tea with Cabrini.
This morning, in an alley, I found the frozen body of a boy
...with newspapers as his only blanket.
We came to America believing the streets. were paved with gold....
... Only to find they're paved with abandoned children.
This box...
..is a tomb of dreams. OC
It's filled with letters from immigrants
Italians from New York.
Forgive me, Your Holiness.
Why are you telling me this?
They tell me that..
you were rejected by. three different orders.
Each time for "weakness of constitution.
We can serve our weakness,
or we can serve our purpose.
Not both.
If I made you the first woman
...ever to lead an overseas mission
the whole church would Io ok to you as proof...
of what t women can..
... or can not accomplish.
You understand this?
I will approve e your mission
on one condition :
Begin in the West.
not the East.
If the world is too small for what you intend to do...
why does it matter where you begin?
As women..
...without men, we will be expected to fail.
More than ever, we must trust in ourselves...
and in the purpose of our mission.
As we set sail
for America.
Get out of there!
This is not a place for you.
Did you see three little girls? They came right past here.
Look in the daylight you get killed at this hour.
We should listen to her, Mother.
Do you know where we can find a room nearby?
For you? In Five Points?
We need a place to sleep --
just for tonight.
I can't help.
I beg you, we don't know where to go.
Barricade the door.
And unless you want to get beaten don't let Geno see you.
Open the door!
Nobody stays here for free!
Open up!
You think I care that you're nuns?
If I catch you here again...
I'll make you regret it.
Oh my...
Father Morelli?
You're here.
I knew this would come back to bite me.
So, you did not receive. the letter from the Archbishop?
The one I sen t t you?.
No we didn't
Well...
your mission was denied. By the Archdiocese.
Denied?
What do you mean, denied?
You really should see the Archbishop.
Would you be kind enough to take us to our orphanage e first?
We couldn't raise enough to keep it open.
Not with the cost of the hospital.
Enzo, Paolo! You again?!
Get the hell out!! Go!
No, don't go...
As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.
Even the older ones are still children.
The Archbishop's Office is on 53rd.
It will be a long walk before you find a streetcar.
Stay where you belong, Mother.
Mother...
My name is Doctor Murphy.
A couple good samaritans brought you here.
Stay where you belong.
Mother,
your...
lungs,
they are...
Where were you, I Mother?
Are you okay, Mother?
You have a lot of nerve coming back here.
I'd like to speak to Vittoria.
She's busy.
Now leave.
Get the hell out!
Go! Go!
Don't come back.
Your pretty little habits won't protect you from him.
Did he do this?
I need your help to find those girls, Vittoria.
Get your lamps.
This was the door to my home.
Put that a way!
Mafia boy.
They're just nuns.
We'll take the bread.
There you are!
I've been worried about t you.
Just give us the bread.
Take the bread, what do you eat tonight?
Come as our guests and you'll have...
What is Sister Serafina making?
Rigatoni and peach cro stata.
Plus the bread.
Or...
We'll take the bread.
But it's cro stata..
The choice is yours.
I've never had a crostata before.
Sorry, but I'm going.
This cro stata is great!
We'll stay for a little while..
...and what about your parents, Paolo?
Papa killed himself.
Mama died of typhus...
..in a wheelbarrow.
Go take a look.
Look how handsome you are.
Your mother would be so proud.
You lying whore!
You're gonna work a double shift to make it up!
Let her go!
Coward! He's just a kid.
Let her go!
Move!
If you harm her, Mr. Geno...
God's wrath shall descend upon you...
...and it shall be better for you had you never been
Mother,
I'm going to repeat it to you one last time.
Move to the side.
I said let her go!
Paolo...
Give me the gun.
Paolo, this is not the way we do things!.
Put it down!
Geno is leaving.
Yeah.
Listen to her, boy..
Lower the gun.
Please.
The pimp will be fine.
So an orphan..
shot a pimp,
while you blocked the door
...to keep a prostitute inside.
Sit down, Paolo.
That was the gun my papa used on himself.
I removed the bullets but the gun is yours...
The children and I. would like to know
The choice is yours
Ah, Vittoria!
Where have you been?
You'll pay for what you did to me!
Enough! Geno!
I'm a prostitute.
Been one since was a girl.
And now I have blood on my hands.
There's not enough water in the world to make me clean.
When I look at you, do you know what I see?
I see a strong woman.
I see courage.
I see it glowing all around I you.
It takes a lot of courage...
...to become who we're. meant to be.
We have something in common.
What?
We are both survivors.
We don't get to choose how we come into this world.
But God gave us the freedom to choose...
...how we live in it.
There's a dead girl!
Rats have it better than the children of Five Points.
Rats.
And no one cares.
But do people know
that rats have it better than the children of Five Points?
Those people would never visit a sewer.
Then we. should bring. the sewer to them.
Give this to Dr.Murphy.
He comes in Thursday and Saturday..
Thank you, Mother, thank you!
Send Giacomo my blessing.
Mother, it's my nephew..
The cops put him in jail but he did nothing. wrong.
It's two in the morning.
You should d rest more.
You're dying. Why aren't you a afraid?
Of course I'm afraid.
That's why I'm out here digging.
When I work it seems like....
I'm stealing one more day of life.
If I rest...
that's when dying becomes..
...very, very real.
We just moved in
to this huge, huge place..
and we already barely fit.
She just keeps bringing in more kids.
She's crazy.
We should help her somehow.
Can you find us some work?
Bro!
They'll take us both.
Twenty cents for the night shift!
Perfect! What are we doing?
Faster, boys! Faster!
Keep that boiler hot!
Or I toss you out!
Go! Go!
Now!
Have you seen Enzo?
I found Enzo!
I You wrote to me..
...that my girl is calling for me
the one who left her behind..
...is still far away.
No, I won't be coming back to her.
I'll stay gone
and keep on working for us all..
I have lost my home. my homeland and my honor...
I'm butchers meat.
I am an immigrant.
We don't make loans.
Then what about the Italian Senate?
I can go to Rome,. I can sail tomorrow.
I wouldn't sail to Rome to hear it.
Sonk Mantan Piant
Hello friends!
Watch out!
They are Americans!
You coward!
Do you t think the Archbishop will Iet me stay here without you?
A hooker from Five Points?
I'm going to Rome to fight. Sooc
...with every last ounce of my strength.
You fascinate me, Cabrini.
I can't tell where your faith ends...
100 and your ambition begins.
I must agree with the Archbishop.
This project is overly a ambitious,
perhaps s unrealistic.
Only after little David killed giant. t Goliath.
did he become king.
You intend to be a king?
I intend to build an empire. Your I Holiness.
An empire of hope.
If you can prove. e that your. plan has any real chance...
any at all.
I could consider your request.
In the meantime, I can not and will not...
...override the Archbishop
Senator...
Sorry for the wait, Mother...
We are late for a dinner.
If you don't mind walking with us..
The committee has reviewed your application,
but has regretfully declined your loan..
Senator, the project works perfectly, we can host --
Good evening!
So many children --
Mother Cabrini
the Senate does not even make I oans of that size.
We do however wish you the best.
The Senate has made its decision, my dear.
There's nothing else you can do -
But please, just take a look...
Mother Cabrini!
Enough!
You've wandered into rooms..
where you simply don't belong.
Mother!
Are you well?
We're making. dinner, come. and eat something.
need to rest
The first time I saw you...
you were marching t through
the most dangerous alley in New York
in your long black cape.
You wore it like a suit of armor.
Like nothing on Earth could stop you.
I don't know what you're
I don't know anything about the Pope or the Senate..
But I know you're not supposed to stop.
You said you'd fight with. every I ast ounce of your strength.
You must put your armor on.
Gentlemen!
Open your-hearts
to the refugee...
to the Italian immigrant who traveled across the ocean!.
In America,
in the great city of New York,
the life of an Italian immigrant --
Officer! Escort her out now.
Stop, my dear!
Not one step further!
Officer, you are to remove this woman.
You did not permit me to speak earlier,
Senator B odio.
So I shall speak here,
now!
Throw her out!
Because I speak for the immigrant --
Only men are allowed to speak here!
I speak for your countrymen..
who wager everything on America.
to discover what?
'Even rats have it better!
This is an outrage!
speak for those little girls
abandoned to the streets.
Who somehow survive... only to become prostitutes.
speak for families,
stacked in tenements.
For fathers,
who die alone in gutters..
like dogs.
In one voice they tell you..
they don't want your pity.
For they are Italian.
They are proud.
But they also tell you --
Enough! This is no place for a woman!
--one small g gesture of love..
can change everything.
A word of hope.
A touch.
The medicine of a loving hand.
These are the things that change the world.
And in one voice they ask the great Senator B odio,
...to hear their case.
For at the hour of our death
we will all be asked one question.
What did we do for the poor?
The sick?
The homeless?
For those stripped of dignity?
What did we do?
Such a loan. would be risky enough if made to a man.
Isn't a building worth the same no matter who owns it?.
If I fail
I offer as collateral a prime piece of Manhattan real estate.
all my holdings in Lombardy,
and my property on the Hudson.
In other words, gentlemen.
if I fail, everything I have is yours.
I am overriding his order but..
it may cost you everything.
That is how I learned to live in America..
Thank you, Your Holiness.