God has many ways of speaking with us: the Word of God, events in our lives, historical situations, council from our friends, tradition, and Church teachings. Another way God speaks to us is through the lives and example of the saints. Sometimes we think that the saints are strange examples of Christian life from long ago, who are not part of our lives, and who do not have anything to do with our modern times. But that is not true. We all live in the Church surrounded by saints who may not be officially recognized but who live out the Gospel before our eyes. Today I would like to look at St. Marianne Cope whose memorial we celebrate today.
Barbara Cope, the oldest child in her family, was born in Germany in 1839. When she was just a baby around two years old, her family moved to Utica, NY, my hometown. She along with her parents were immigrants. She was baptized in Historic Old St John’s Church in Utica. At that time there were only four Catholic parishes in New York state: two in New York City, one in Albany and one in Utica. It was not easy to be a Catholic immigrant at that time. Initially her family lived on Varick St., close to the brewery, and later the family moved closer to St Joseph’s church.
Barbara went to the parish school at St Joseph’s Parish along with her nine sisters and brothers. When she finished eighth grade, she went to work at a textile factory just a few blocks from her family’s house. Her father was sick and one of her brothers was also sick. She wanted to become a religious sister since she was around 15 years old. But being the oldest, she recognized her responsibility to help support her younger brothers and sisters. She persisted in her desire to join the Franciscan sister while she worked to help her brothers and sisters.
Barbara worked nine years after finishing grade school to support her family. When she was 24 years old, she joined the Franciscan sisters and was given the name Marianne. She worked as a teacher, nurse, pharmacist, and administrator to establish schools and hospitals throughout the Mohawk Valley in central New York. She was able to arrange for the medial school to move to Syracuse to be close to the hospital she founded there. At that time there were less than 50 hospitals in the entire United States. I was born in St. Elizabeth’s Hospital founded by her in Utica, NY.
When Marianne was 45 years old, she received a letter from a priest requesting that sister go to Hawaii to work with the lepers there. She gave up her comfortable place as administrator to go with a small group of Franciscan sisters to work serving the lepers in Hawaii. She met St Damian of Molokai in Hawaii and eventually worked in Molokai taking care of the lepers and St. Damian of Molokai until her death at the age of 80.
The Gospel today calls us to persistence in our prayer life and our vocation as Christians. In Mother Marianne we see one immigrant girl with an eight-grade education in a parochial school who had the persistence to take care of her responsibility to her family and then later begin a life as a religious Franciscan sister. Then as one Franciscan sister she set up a whole network of Catholic schools and hospitals throughout central New York. Her persistence and dedication to her life of service moved her to take on the challenge of serving lepers in Hawaii.
God speaks to us though his Word which comes to us through the Gospel and he speaks to us through the lives of the saints. How many of you children from our parish school, especially you eight graders, have persistence and dedication to live as saints – saints faithful to your family and faithful to call to change our world? You see – yes, it is possible. Look at St Marianne Cope from Utica, NY.
Everyone who asks will receive,
Everyone who searches will find,
And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
Image: CANVA 10JAN2026 AI generated.