Saint Marianne Cope

St. Marianne Cope (1838-1918)

Marianne Cope, O.S.F., also known as Saint Marianne of Molokai, was born on January 23, 1838  was a German-born American who was a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse, New York. By 1883, Cope had become the Superior General of her congregation. It was at this time she received a plea for help from leprosy sufferers in Hawaii. King Kalakaua himself sent the letter asking for aid in treating patients who were isolated on the island of Molokai. The King had already been declined by more than 50 other religious institutes.
Mother Marianne, as she was then known, left Syracuse with six sisters to attend to the sick, and arrived on November 8,1883.Known for her charitable works and virtuous deeds, she spent many years caring for lepers on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. Despite direct contact with the patients over many years, Cope was not afflicted by the disease, which some faithful consider miraculous. She died of natural causes on August 9, 1918.
In 2005 Cope was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. Cope was declared a saint by the same Pope on October 21, 2012, along with the young 17th-century Native American, Kateri Tekakwitha. Cope is the 11th American citizen to be honored by the Catholic Church.