Saint Marianne Cope
German-born Franciscan sister who served people with leprosy in Hawaii
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Religious, Missionary
- Life
- 1838 – 1918
- Era
- 20th century
- Feast
- 23 January
- Countries
- Germany, United States
Life story
Barbara Koob was born on 23 January 1838 at Heppenheim, in Hesse, Germany. Her family emigrated to the United States the following year and settled in Utica, New York. She attended elementary school and then worked in a factory to help the family, especially when her father was ill. In 1862 she entered the Sisters of St Francis in Syracuse and took the name Marianne.
She taught and helped to found St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, one of the first general hospitals in the region, which accepted patients refused by many others. In 1877 she was elected superior general of her congregation. When King Kalākaua of Hawaii appealed for help in caring for people with leprosy, many congregations declined, but in 1883 Marianne sailed to Honolulu with six sisters.
In Hawaii she ran a hospital in Honolulu and opened another on Maui. In 1888 she went to Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai, where people with leprosy were isolated, and set up a home for girls and women. She worked with Father Damien, who died in 1889, and afterwards continued his work, including a home for boys. According to the records, she never contracted the disease.
She died at Kalaupapa on 9 August 1918. She was beatified in 2005 and canonised by Benedict XVI on 21 October 2012. Her feast is kept on 23 January in the United States. Her congregation, the Sisters of St Francis of Syracuse, still carries on her work in health care and education.
Works and witness
- Entered the Franciscan Sisters in Syracuse in 1862
- Helped to found St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse
- Went to Hawaii in 1883 with six sisters
- Moved to Kalaupapa in 1888 to care for people with leprosy
- Canonised in 2012
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.