August 9
Mariana Cope (1838–1918)
Franciscan missionary nun
Practical advice
Approach a sick or isolated person today without fear or prejudice and make them feel that they retain all their dignity.
Biography
A German-American Franciscan religious, Mariana Cope dedicated more than thirty years to the care of leprosy patients in Hawaii. She emigrated to New York as a child, joined the Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse and collaborated in the founding and direction of hospitals that served everyone without discrimination. As superior general, she responded to a missionary request that other communities had rejected. She traveled with six sisters to Hawaii and decided to stay there; After the death of Saint Damian of Molokai, he continued his work among the sick. He served with competence, tenderness and without fear of contagion.