Mother Marianne Cope
Encyclopedia
The Blessed
Marianne Cope, O.S.F.
, christened
Maria Anna Barbara Koob (later changed to "Cope") (1838–1918), was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse, a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church
. Born in Heppenheim
(Germany
) and entered religious life in Syracuse
, New York
, she spent many years in heroic service to the lepers
on the island
of Molokai
in Hawaii
. Despite close contact with the patients over many years, she was not herself afflicted by the disease
, considered by some to be miraculous.
Mother Marianne was among the first group of people beatified
by Pope Benedict XVI
and is now often referred to as Blessed Marianne of Molokai. Her feast day is observed on January 23, celebrated by her Congregation, the Diocese of Honolulu and the Diocese of Syracuse.
in the Grand Duchy
of Hesse
(modern-day Germany
) to Peter Koob (1787-1862) and Barbara Witzenbacher Koob (1803-1872). That following year her family emigrated
to the United States
, settling in Utica
, New York
. There they became members of the Parish of St. Joseph
, where she attended the parish school. By the time she had completed the eighth grade, her father had become an invalid
. As the oldest child in the house, she became a factory worker to help support the family. Around that time, her father became an American citizen, which, at the time, gave citizenship status to the whole family.
After her father's death during the summer of 1862, when she was twenty-four, she felt free enough of her family responsibilities to follow a religious vocation
she had long felt. She entered the novitiate
of the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis based in Syracuse, New York
. At the completion of her year of formation, she received the religious habit
of the Franciscan Sisters, at which time she was given the name Marianne. The new Sister Marianne then went on to spend nearly a decade, first as a teacher and then a principal, in newly-established schools for German-speaking
immigrants in the region.
By 1870, she was a member of the governing Council of her congregation. In this office, she was involved in the opening of the first two Catholic hospitals in Central New York
. They were unusual in their Charter for the time in that it was stipulated that medical care was to be provided to all, regardless of race or creed. She was appointed by the Superior General
to direct St. Joseph’s Hospital, the first public hospital in Syracuse, which she did from 1870-1877.
During her period of hospital administration, she became involved with the move of the College of Medicine in Geneva, New York
to Syracuse, where it became the Geneva Medical College
. She contracted with the college to accept their students in the treatment of the hospital's patients, to further their medical education. Her stipulation in the contract--again unique for the period--was the right of the patients to refuse care by the students. These experiences helped prepare her for the special ministry that lay ahead of her.
of Hawaii. She responded to the letter enthusiastically:
Mother Marianne set out with six of her Sisters from Syracuse to travel to Honolulu
to answer this call, arriving on November 8, 1883. The bells of Our Lady of Peace Cathedral pealed to welcome their ship, the SS Mariposa
, as it entered Honolulu harbor
. With Mother Marianne as supervisor, the Sisters' task was to manage Kakaako Branch Hospital on Oahu
, which served as a receiving station for Hansen's disease patients gathered from all over the islands. Here the more severe cases were processed and shipped to the island of Molokai
for confinement in the settlement at Kalawao, and then later at Kalaupapa.
The following year, at the request of the government, she set up Malulani Hospital, the first General Hospital on the island of Maui
. Soon, however, she was called back with haste to the hospital in Oahu
, where she had to deal with a government-appointed administrator’s abuse of the leprosy patients at the Branch Hospital at Kakaako, an area adjoining Honolulu. Her demand to the government to choose between his dismissal or the Sisters’ return to Syracuse resulted in her being given full charge of the overcrowded hospital. Her own expected return to Syracuse to re-assume governance of the Congregation was then delayed when her leadership was declared by both government and church authorities to be essential to the success of the Mission.
Two years after the arrival of the Sisters, her accomplishments had so stirred the admiration of the Hawaiian government that the King himself bestowed on Mother Marianne the Cross of a Companion of the Royal Order of Kapiolani
for her acts of benevolence to his suffering people.
Yet the work kept increasing. Another pressing need was fulfilled when a year later, in November 1885, after Mother Marianne had convinced the government that it was of vital need to save the homeless female children of leprosy patients, the Kapiolani Home was opened. The unusual choice of location for healthy children to dwell in a Home situated on the grounds of a leprosy hospital was made because no one other than the Sisters could be found to care for those so closely associated with people with the dreaded disease.
A new government took over in 1887, which changed the official policy toward leprosy patients. While new patients had not been forced into exile at Molokai for several years, the new administration decided to end that policy, and closed the hospital built for them in Oahu. A year later, as the consequences of this decision became clear, the authorities pleaded with Mother Marianne to establish a new Home for women and girls on the Kalaupapa peninsula
of Molokai. Though this step meant that she would likely never be able to return to New York and see her family and friends again, Marianne accepted the call. “We will cheerfully accept the work…" was her response.
, SS.CC., and to assume his burdens. She had met him shortly after her arrival in Hawaii, when, while still in good health, Father Damien had gone to Oahu to attend the dedication
of the chapel
in the hospital she was establishing. After his diagnosis as a leper, he was shunned by both civil and church leaders. It was only Mother Marianne who gave him welcome, even arranging for the King to meet him.
When the holy priest died five months later, on April 15th, the government officially gave Mother Marianne charge for the care of the boys of Kalaupapa, as well as her original commission for the female residents of the colony. A prominent local businessman, Henry P. Baldwin
, had donated money for the new Home; Mother Marianne and two assistants, Sister Leopoldina Burns and Sister Vincentia McCormick, opened and ran a new Girls School, which she named in his honor. At her suggestion, a community of lay Brother
s was invited to come and care for the boys. After the arrival of four Brothers of the Sacred Heart
in 1895, she withdrew the Sisters to the Bishops School for Girls and "Brother" Charles Dutton was given charge of the Baldwin House by the government. (He was a veteran
of the American Civil War
who had left behind in the United States a life broken by alcoholism
, and it was he who had been Blessed Damien's primary assistant.)
Mother Marianne died August 9, 1918, of natural causes and was buried at the Bishop Home.
Additionally, the Saint Francis School was founded in 1924, which is a school for girls in grades 6-9. was founded in her honor
At Kalaupapa the Sisters still maintain the continuity of their comforting presence to the very few Hansen Disease patients living there today. Franciscan Sisters work at several schools and minister to parishioners in the islands.
declared her heroically virtuous. On April 19, 2004, Pope John Paul II issued the decree officially naming her Venerable
.
In 1993 Katherine Dehlia Mahoney had recovered from multiple organ failure after prayers were said to Mother Marianne for her recovery. On December 20, 2004, after receiving the unanimous affirmation of the Congregation, Pope John Paul II ordered a decree to be issued authenticating this recovery as a miracle to be attributed to Mother Marianne’s intercession. On May 14, 2005, Venerable Marianne was beatified
by Pope Benedict XVI
in his first such ceremony as pope in Vatican City
. Her cause is awaiting further affirmation.
Over one hundred followers from Hawaii attended the beatification ceremony. Three hundred followers from the Blessed Mother's religious Congregation in Syracuse were also in attendance. During the ceremony presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F.
, the Hawaiian song Makalapua was sung. This song was a favorite of Mother Marianne.
of her impending beatification, Venerable Marianne's remains were moved during January 2005 from there to the Motherhouse
of the Congregation in Syracuse . A temporary shrine
was established to honor her. On January 23, 2009, the erection of a marble sarcophagus
in the Chapel of the Sisters was complete, and the remains were permanently moved one last time to where she was finally laid to rest. This now serves as her primary shrine.
In 2007 a statue was erected at St. Joseph's Church in Utica, which she had attended in her childhood and where she had received her education.
Additionally, Blessed Marianne is honored together with Blessed Damien
with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA)
on April 15.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Marianne Cope, O.S.F.
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
, christened
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
Maria Anna Barbara Koob (later changed to "Cope") (1838–1918), was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse, a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Born in Heppenheim
Heppenheim
Heppenheim is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald.- Location :...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and entered religious life in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she spent many years in heroic service to the lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
on the island
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Despite close contact with the patients over many years, she was not herself afflicted by the disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
, considered by some to be miraculous.
Mother Marianne was among the first group of people beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and is now often referred to as Blessed Marianne of Molokai. Her feast day is observed on January 23, celebrated by her Congregation, the Diocese of Honolulu and the Diocese of Syracuse.
Birth and vocation
Maria Anna Barbara Koob was born January 23, 1838 in HeppenheimHeppenheim
Heppenheim is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald.- Location :...
in the Grand Duchy
Grand duchy
A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy...
of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
(modern-day Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) to Peter Koob (1787-1862) and Barbara Witzenbacher Koob (1803-1872). That following year her family emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settling in Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. There they became members of the Parish of St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Church (Utica, New York)
St. Joseph's Church, also known as St. Joseph & St. Patrick Church, is a historic Roman Catholic church complex at 704-708 Columbia Street in Utica, Oneida County, New York. The complex consists of the church, St. Joseph's Parochial School , St...
, where she attended the parish school. By the time she had completed the eighth grade, her father had become an invalid
Invalid
Invalid may refer to:* Patient, a sick person* A person with a disability* .invalid, a top-level Internet domain not intended for real useAs the opposite of valid:* Validity, in logic, true premises cannot lead to a false conclusion...
. As the oldest child in the house, she became a factory worker to help support the family. Around that time, her father became an American citizen, which, at the time, gave citizenship status to the whole family.
After her father's death during the summer of 1862, when she was twenty-four, she felt free enough of her family responsibilities to follow a religious vocation
Vocation
A vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
she had long felt. She entered the novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis based in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. At the completion of her year of formation, she received the religious habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
of the Franciscan Sisters, at which time she was given the name Marianne. The new Sister Marianne then went on to spend nearly a decade, first as a teacher and then a principal, in newly-established schools for German-speaking
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
immigrants in the region.
By 1870, she was a member of the governing Council of her congregation. In this office, she was involved in the opening of the first two Catholic hospitals in Central New York
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
. They were unusual in their Charter for the time in that it was stipulated that medical care was to be provided to all, regardless of race or creed. She was appointed by the Superior General
Superior general
A Superior General, or General Superior, is the Superior at the head of a whole religious order or congregation.The term is mainly used as a generic term, while many orders and congregations use other specific titles, notably:* Abbot general...
to direct St. Joseph’s Hospital, the first public hospital in Syracuse, which she did from 1870-1877.
During her period of hospital administration, she became involved with the move of the College of Medicine in Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
to Syracuse, where it became the Geneva Medical College
Geneva Medical College
Geneva Medical College was founded on September 15, 1834, in Geneva, New York, as a separate department of Geneva College, currently known as Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1871, the medical school was transferred to Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York...
. She contracted with the college to accept their students in the treatment of the hospital's patients, to further their medical education. Her stipulation in the contract--again unique for the period--was the right of the patients to refuse care by the students. These experiences helped prepare her for the special ministry that lay ahead of her.
Call to Hawaii
In 1883, Mother Marianne, by then herself Superior General of the congregation, received a plea for help in caring for leprosy sufferers from King KalākauaKalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
of Hawaii. She responded to the letter enthusiastically:
I am hungry for the 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... I am not afraid of any disease, hence it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned ‘lepers.’
Mother Marianne set out with six of her Sisters from Syracuse to travel to Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
to answer this call, arriving on November 8, 1883. The bells of Our Lady of Peace Cathedral pealed to welcome their ship, the SS Mariposa
SS Mariposa (1883)
-History:The Mariposa was an iron ship built in 1883 in Philadelphia by the William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company. It had a weight of 3,000 tons and was built for the Oceanic Steamship Company, which had been founded in 1881 by John D. Spreckels & Brothers to provide passenger and cargo service...
, as it entered Honolulu harbor
Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor, also called Kulolia and Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal seaport of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii in the United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the...
. With Mother Marianne as supervisor, the Sisters' task was to manage Kakaako Branch Hospital on Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, which served as a receiving station for Hansen's disease patients gathered from all over the islands. Here the more severe cases were processed and shipped to the island of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
for confinement in the settlement at Kalawao, and then later at Kalaupapa.
The following year, at the request of the government, she set up Malulani Hospital, the first General Hospital on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. Soon, however, she was called back with haste to the hospital in Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, where she had to deal with a government-appointed administrator’s abuse of the leprosy patients at the Branch Hospital at Kakaako, an area adjoining Honolulu. Her demand to the government to choose between his dismissal or the Sisters’ return to Syracuse resulted in her being given full charge of the overcrowded hospital. Her own expected return to Syracuse to re-assume governance of the Congregation was then delayed when her leadership was declared by both government and church authorities to be essential to the success of the Mission.
Two years after the arrival of the Sisters, her accomplishments had so stirred the admiration of the Hawaiian government that the King himself bestowed on Mother Marianne the Cross of a Companion of the Royal Order of Kapiolani
Royal Order of Kapiolani
The Royal Order of Kapiolani was instituted on August 30, 1880 by King Kalākaua to recognize services in the cause of humanity, for merit in Science and the Arts, or for special services rendered to the Kingdom of Hawaii...
for her acts of benevolence to his suffering people.
Yet the work kept increasing. Another pressing need was fulfilled when a year later, in November 1885, after Mother Marianne had convinced the government that it was of vital need to save the homeless female children of leprosy patients, the Kapiolani Home was opened. The unusual choice of location for healthy children to dwell in a Home situated on the grounds of a leprosy hospital was made because no one other than the Sisters could be found to care for those so closely associated with people with the dreaded disease.
A new government took over in 1887, which changed the official policy toward leprosy patients. While new patients had not been forced into exile at Molokai for several years, the new administration decided to end that policy, and closed the hospital built for them in Oahu. A year later, as the consequences of this decision became clear, the authorities pleaded with Mother Marianne to establish a new Home for women and girls on the Kalaupapa peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
of Molokai. Though this step meant that she would likely never be able to return to New York and see her family and friends again, Marianne accepted the call. “We will cheerfully accept the work…" was her response.
Molokai
In November 1888, she moved to Kalaupapa both to care for the ailing Blessed Damien of MolokaiFather Damien
Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. , born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order...
, SS.CC., and to assume his burdens. She had met him shortly after her arrival in Hawaii, when, while still in good health, Father Damien had gone to Oahu to attend the dedication
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
of the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in the hospital she was establishing. After his diagnosis as a leper, he was shunned by both civil and church leaders. It was only Mother Marianne who gave him welcome, even arranging for the King to meet him.
When the holy priest died five months later, on April 15th, the government officially gave Mother Marianne charge for the care of the boys of Kalaupapa, as well as her original commission for the female residents of the colony. A prominent local businessman, Henry P. Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
, had donated money for the new Home; Mother Marianne and two assistants, Sister Leopoldina Burns and Sister Vincentia McCormick, opened and ran a new Girls School, which she named in his honor. At her suggestion, a community of lay Brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
s was invited to come and care for the boys. After the arrival of four Brothers of the Sacred Heart
Brothers of the Sacred Heart
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart are a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1821 by the Reverend André Coindre . Its Constitutions were modeled upon those of the Jesuits, while its Rule of Life was based upon the Rule of Saint Augustine. Its members bind themselves for life by simple vows of...
in 1895, she withdrew the Sisters to the Bishops School for Girls and "Brother" Charles Dutton was given charge of the Baldwin House by the government. (He was a veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
who had left behind in the United States a life broken by alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and it was he who had been Blessed Damien's primary assistant.)
Mother Marianne died August 9, 1918, of natural causes and was buried at the Bishop Home.
Legacy
- In 1927, Saint Francis Hospital was founded in Honolulu in her memory as a community hospital and to train nurses to work with Hansen's disease patients.
- In 1957, St. Francis opened the Child Development Center at the Community Church in Honolulu, for preschool-aged children who weren’t mentally challenged but demonstrated emotional problems.
- In 1962, understanding that people recover faster in the comfort of their own homes surrounded by loved ones, St. Francis Home Care Services was established, the first in Hawaii to specialize in home health care, the first of many services introduced for the care of the Hawaiian people.
- In 2006, the Sisters of St. Francis chose to divest themselves of acute care facilities and to focus on long term care.
- In 2007, the two facilities which had developed from St. Francis Medical Center East & West are handed over to a private board and soon become known as the Hawaiian Medical Center East and Hawaiian Medical Center West.
Additionally, the Saint Francis School was founded in 1924, which is a school for girls in grades 6-9. was founded in her honor
At Kalaupapa the Sisters still maintain the continuity of their comforting presence to the very few Hansen Disease patients living there today. Franciscan Sisters work at several schools and minister to parishioners in the islands.
Beatification
On October 24, 2003, theologians at the Congregation for the Causes of SaintsCongregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
declared her heroically virtuous. On April 19, 2004, Pope John Paul II issued the decree officially naming her Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
.
In 1993 Katherine Dehlia Mahoney had recovered from multiple organ failure after prayers were said to Mother Marianne for her recovery. On December 20, 2004, after receiving the unanimous affirmation of the Congregation, Pope John Paul II ordered a decree to be issued authenticating this recovery as a miracle to be attributed to Mother Marianne’s intercession. On May 14, 2005, Venerable Marianne was beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
in his first such ceremony as pope in Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. Her cause is awaiting further affirmation.
Over one hundred followers from Hawaii attended the beatification ceremony. Three hundred followers from the Blessed Mother's religious Congregation in Syracuse were also in attendance. During the ceremony presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F.
Claretians
The Claretians, a community of Roman Catholic priests and brothers, were founded by Saint Anthony Claret in 1849. They strive to follow their founder's “on fire” example and help wherever they are needed. Their ministries are highly diverse and vary depending on the needs of the area. They focus...
, the Hawaiian song Makalapua was sung. This song was a favorite of Mother Marianne.
Veneration
After the announcement by the Holy SeeHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
of her impending beatification, Venerable Marianne's remains were moved during January 2005 from there to the Motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
of the Congregation in Syracuse . A temporary shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
was established to honor her. On January 23, 2009, the erection of a marble sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
in the Chapel of the Sisters was complete, and the remains were permanently moved one last time to where she was finally laid to rest. This now serves as her primary shrine.
In 2007 a statue was erected at St. Joseph's Church in Utica, which she had attended in her childhood and where she had received her education.
Additionally, Blessed Marianne is honored together with Blessed Damien
Father Damien
Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. , born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order...
with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA)
Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)
The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church is a continuation of an ancient tradition from the early Church which honors important people of the Christian faith. The usage of the term "saint" is similar to Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition may...
on April 15.
See also
- American Catholic Saints
- List of American saints and beatified people