Exactly. At age 45, St. Marianne took six of her Franciscan sisters from Syracuse, New York, In an age where we obsess over Super Bowl performances, celebrity arrests, and viral videos, St. Marianne\u2019s quiet heroism reminds us of what the Gospel can accomplish\u2026precisely where nobody else is paying attention.\u00a0 However, Gaudium et Spes<\/em>, the crowning statement of Vatican II, opened by declaring the Church\u2019s desire to share the Gospel with the world and in so doing embrace the hopes and concerns of all.\u00a0 Theology students know that. St. Marianne\u2019s life offers a sobering\u2014and inspiring!\u2014commitment to do just that. Of course, it is not<\/span> easy, but St. Marianne (and Vatican II!) knew that\u2026and embraced the rejected anyway.<\/p>\n Learn more at http:\/\/blessedmariannecope.org\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n Jeffrey Marlett<\/strong> teaches theology for Saint Joseph’s College Online. Follow his blog, Spiritual Diabetes<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Studying theology invigorates the mind and soul but sometimes, unfortunately, it can also distract us from God\u2026or perhaps even hide Him.\u00a0 January 23 was the feast of St. Marianne Cope (1838-1918), canonized 20 October 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. With … Continue reading ![\"20140311-212746.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2014\/03\/20140311-212746.jpg\")
<\/a>to minister to the leper colony isolated on Hawaii\u2019s Molokai Island.\u00a0 She had worked in a factory to support her younger siblings and then, after joining the Franciscan sisters, founded hospitals welcoming all patients, including alcoholics and single mothers, in Utica and Syracuse.\u00a0 St. Marianne was no stranger to helping those whom everybody else had rejected.\u00a0 She lived another twenty-five years working on Molokai, helping St. Damien DeVeuster build a community where previously leprosy patients had lived in abject poverty.<\/p>\n