July 9, 2023 - "Saint Marianne Cope"

In the liturgical calendar adapted for use in the United States, January 23 has been designated as the optional memorial of Saint Marianne Cope.  Barbara Koob was born in Germany in 1838. Before she was two years old her family emigrated to the United States. At some point in time the family name was changed to Cope.  Her family settled in Utica, New York where they became members of St. Joseph Parish.  Barbara attended the local parish elementary school.  After completing the eighth grade Barbara went to work in a textile factory to support her family.
 
By 1862 Barbara’s father died and the youngest children in the family were able to support themselves.  Barbara felt free to pursue her long-felt desire to enter religious life.  The Franciscan Sisters of Philadelphia had sent a few sisters to the Syracuse Diocese to work among the German speaking immigrants who were arriving in increasing numbers after the Revolution of 1848.  Barbara entered this community in 1862 and received the religious name Sister Marianne.  After making her profession of vows Sister Marianne became a teacher and then a principal in schools being established by her community to minister to the children of the German-speaking Catholic families.  By 1870 Sister Marianne was on the governing council of the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse.  She was involved in the establishment of two Catholic hospitals in Central New York.  The charter for both hospitals stipulated that medical care was to be provided to all people without regard to race, color, or creed. The Major Superior of the Franciscan Sisters appointed Sister Marianne as the Administrator of Saint Joseph Hospital, the first public hospital in Syracuse, New York.  In her role as the Administrator of Saint Joseph Hospital, she became involved in the moving of Geneva Medical College of Hobart College from Geneva, New York to Syracuse, New York. where it became the College of Medicine at Syracuse University.  She arranged with the Medical College officials for medical students to come to treat the patients.  She put a provision in the contract that the patients could refuse care by the students—an unusual action at that period of time.   Her work as a hospital administrator would prove to be important preparation for the major work of her life.
 
By 1883 she was known as Mother Marianne because she had become the Major Superior of the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse.  That year she received a request from King Kalakua in Hawaii for help in caring for leprosy patients.  Even though fifty congregations had declined the king’s plea, Mother Marianne replied at once: “I am hungry for this work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen Ones whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor islanders.”  Later in 1883 Mother Marianne and six sisters sailed for Hawaii and immediately began the preparatory work to open a hospital in Maui.  Given the general fear of the disease and the social stigma attached to Hansen’s disease, the dedication of the sisters to their patients won wide respect of the general public.  Eventually Mother Marianne consented to move to the island of Molokai, where the most serious cases were confined.  One of the first tasks once they moved to Molokai was to care for Father Damien de Veuster, the famous “Apostle to the Lepers” who had succumbed to the disease during his long years of service. 
 
One of the Sisters, seeing what had happened to Father Damien, asked Mother Marianne what they would do if one of the Sisters contracted leprosy.  Mother Marianne replied that if the Sisters trusted that God would protect them from contracting leprosy and would follow all the known protocols for disinfecting themselves then no Sister of Saint Francis would ever contract leprosy.  To this date none of them has contracted it.  Mother Marianne embraced her work with joy: “Should I live a thousand years I could not in ever so small a degree thank Him for His gifts and blessings.... I do not expect a high place in heaven—I shall be thankful for a little corner where I may love God forever.”
 
In addition to nursing her patients, Mother Marianne strove to create an atmosphere of beauty and peace.  Planting flowers around the hospital, she transformed the barren landscape into a garden.  She also made brightly colored clothes for the women and girls to wear to give them a sense of beauty and self-worth.
 
Mother Marianne was never able to return to New York as she had initially planned in 1883 but remained in Hawaii until her death of August 9, 1918.  She was the first person beatified by Pope Benedict XVI and the last person canonized by him when this occurred in 2012.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John