August 2009 What's New: Blessed Marianne Cope

What's New

August 2009

This month, we are pleased to present the Reliquary Brochure which features the process of obtaining and creating the reliquary holding the remains of Blessed Marianne Cope. We are also adding a link so the brochure can be downloaded and printed out in its original format.

Sr. Patricia Burkard welcomed all to St. Anthony’s Motherhouse Chapel for the Feastday Celebration, which opened with the Gathering Song “Blessed Mother Marianne”. Msgr. Eugene Yennock presided over the Ceremony to transfer Mother’s remains to the Reliquary. The Knights of Columbus carefully removed the zinc container that hold Mother’s remains, and placed them on the pedestal stand where the Reliquary would be set. Sr. Patricia Burkard led a delegation to sign a document verifying the authenticity, and soil from Mother’s grave in Hawaii was then sprinkled on the zinc container. Msgr. Yennock blessed the container with holy water (pictured). The Ceremony concluded when the Knights of Columbus carefully set the Reliquary, enclosing Mother’s remains.

Msgr. Yennock blessing the reliquary

Msgr. Eugene Yennock sprinkling holy water on the zinc container that holds Blessed Marianne’s remains, during Mother’s Feastday Celebration, Jan. 23, 2009

The Feastday Celebration ended with the Sisterssinging “O Makalapua” (Mother’s favorite song), and closed with “Blessed Mother Marianne”.

Mother Marianne with lei

Special Thanks to:

Greenleaf Cabinet Makers
201 Wavel Street
Syracuse, New York 13206

Blessed Marianne Cope Shrine
and Museum
1024 Court St., Syracuse, NY 13208
(315)422-7999

e-mail: mmariannecause@a-znet.com
website: www.blessedmariannecope.org

background image

Blessed Marianne's Reliquary

The search for a suitable reliquary began shortly after the exhumation of Blessed Marianne’s remains and her return to her
home in Syracuse, New York in 2005.

In the search, we were conscious of the need to be simple, symbolic of her life and work, and it needed to be large enough to hold the zinc container in which the bones were sealed. The zinc container was required by the Church to protect the integrity of her remains.

The search for suitable wood began by discussing our need with John Marcellus, of the former Marcellus Casket Company. As we were exploring various options, Sr. Mary Laurence Hanley approached John Green of Ter-el Company on Court St., who previously had done work for John Marcellus. He was asked for the name of someone who could create a fitting container for the cross made from the roots of a tree planted by Blessed Marianne in Kalaupapa. He recommended Eugene Cahalan of Greenleaf Cabinet Makers. Gene Cahalan made the beautiful mahogany box
on display in the Mother Marianne
Museum.

Sr. Patricia Burkard and Sr. Grace Anne Dillenschneider admired his craftsmanship and Gene Cahalan was contacted. Meetings were held with him, Sr. Mary Laurence Hanley, Sr. Patricia Burkard, and Sr. Grace Anne Dillenschneider.

The work began.

The Memphis Hardwood Lumber Company of Memphis, NY procured the ribbon mahogany used for the reliquary itself. A wood carver in Hawaii, Douglas Williams, was contacted to carve a replica of the monument on Blessed Marianne’s grave surrounded by maile leaves, in koa wood, a wood native to Hawaii.

Koa plaque on Mother's reliquary side by side with image of memorial it was taken from
Photo of plaque on reliquary Monument

Blessed Marianne was a lover of beauty and she made parts of Kalaupapa a virtual garden. When asked to assist in the final

design of the reliquary, Sr. Rose Raymond Wagner suggested the plumeria flower as a decorative accent on the reliquary. Steven
Hale, a wood carver from Baldwinsville was contracted to carve the plumeria flowers.

While not native to Hawaii, the plumeria flower, a yellow one, was brought to Hawaii in 1860 by Dr. Wilhelm Hillebrand from
Germany, Blessed Marianne’s place of birth.

plumeria flower

He came to Hawaii to try to help stop the spread of Hansen’s disease (leprosy) among the people of Hawaii. By coincidence, 1860 was the year the former Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse was founded. Blessed Marianne entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1862. The Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse are now part of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

For a downloadable printable version in it's original format, please click here for the front, and click here for the back. Click to get free Adobe Reader for brochure files.