January 23: Blessed Marianne Cope

Today, we also celebrate the feast day of Blessed Marianne Cope, tireless servant of the Lord, who ministered to the forgotten and downtrodden lepers of Hawai’i for over 30 years of her life. Blessed Marianne, who wished for nothing more than a life of ordinary service, reminds us of the importance of placing the call of the Lord before all else, and finding Jesus in everyone we encounter. Blessed Mother Marianne, pray for us!

For my 2010 post on Blessed Marianne, click on the “rear view mirror” to the left.

Selected Quotations of Blessed Marianne Cope:

“We bring no gift to Your Majesty except our service in behalf of your suffering people, whose infirmity we bear in our hearts."


“Let us make the very best use of the precious moments and do all in our power for His dear sake and for His greater honor and glory."


“I do not think of reward; I am working for God, and do so cheerfully."


“God giveth life; He will take it away in His own good time. Meanwhile it is our duty to make life as pleasant and as comfortable as possible for those of our fellow-creatures whom He has chosen to afflict."


“What little good we can do in this world to help and comfort the suffering, we wish to do it quietly and so far as possible unnoticed and unknown."


“Our dear heavenly Mother Mary…how little do our trials and sorrows appear when compared to her bitter sufferings."


“Creep down into the heart of Jesus. He alone can comfort you in your supreme hour of sorrow."

From the Mass of Beatification of Blessed Marianne Cope, delivered by Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins (2005)

The life of Bl. Marianne Cope is a wonderful work of divine grace. She demonstrated the beauty of the life of a true Franciscan. The encounter of Mother Marianne with those suffering from leprosy took place when she was far along on her journey to Christ. For 20 years she had been a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis of Syracuse in New York. She was already a woman of vast experience and was spiritually mature. But suddenly God called her to a more radical giving, to a more difficult missionary service.


Bl. Marianne, who was Provincial Superior at the time, heard the voice of Christ in the invitation of the Bishop of Honolulu. He was looking for Sisters to assist those suffering from leprosy on the Island of Molokai. Like Isaiah, she did not hesitate to answer: "Here I am. Send me!" (Is 6: 8). She left everything, and abandoned herself completely to the will of God, to the call of the Church and to the demands of her new brothers and sisters. She put her own health and life at risk.

For 35 years she lived, to the full, the command to love God and neighbour. She willingly worked with Bl. Damian de Veuster, who was at the end of his extraordinary apostolate. Bl. Marianne loved those suffering from leprosy more than she loved her very self. She served them, educated them and guided them with wisdom, love and strength. She saw in them the suffering face of Jesus.


Like the Good Samaritan, she became their mother. She drew strength from her faith, the Eucharist, her devotion to our Blessed Mother, and from prayer. She did not seek earthly honours or approval. She wrote: "I do not expect a high place in heaven. I will be very grateful to have a little corner where I can love God for all eternity".


"Rivers of living water will gush forth from the heart" of the one who believes in Christ. The signs of his presence are summarized in the Letter to the Galatians: They are: "love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and chastity" (5: 22).