Saint Marianne Cope, 1838–1918
January 23

Saint Marianne Cope was born in Germany, but came to the United States as a baby. After her father died, she helped raise her brothers and sisters. When she was 24, she became a Franciscan sister. She worked in hospitals in New York. One day she learned that King Kalakaua of Hawaii was asking for sisters to come to the islands to work with lepers. Saint Marianne and six other sisters traveled to Honolulu. She worked at the leper colony on the island of Molokai helping Saint Father Damien, who was dying of leprosy himself. Saint Marianne’s feast day is January 23.

Discuss: What do you do when you are sick? How can Jesus make you feel better?

Saint Marianne is a patron of those with Hansen’s disease (leprosy), outcasts, and Hawaii. She also worked as a teacher and principal at a school for immigrant children in New York before she went to Hawaii. While in Hawaii, she was awarded a medal of the Royal Order of Kapiolani by the king for her work. She established homes for women and girls on the island and assisted Saint Damien until his death, after which she became the director of the lepers’ settlement.

Activity
Beatified and Canonized
Verbal/Linguistic

Share with your child that when Saint Marianne Cope moved to Hawaii, she managed a hospital on the island of O’ahu, where victims of leprosy were cared for. She was responsible for orphans of women who had contracted the disease as well as clergy who contracted the disease while working with lepers. Because of her work, she received the Royal Order of Kapiolani from King Kalakaua of Hawaii. She was beatified in 2005 and canonized in 2012.

• Have your child look up the words beatified and canonized. Have him/her write down the definitions.
• Then have her/him look up the Royal Order of Kapiolani and write down that description.
• Encourage your child to share what he/she learned with you and with other family members.