Marianne Cope

Marianne Cope, O.S.F., also known as Saint Marianne of Moloka i, was a Germanborn American nun who was a member of the Sisters of St Francis of Syracuse, New York and administrator of its St. Josephs Hospital in the city. Known also for her charitable works, in 1883 she relocated with six other Sisters to Hawai i to care for persons suffering Hansens Disease on the island of Moloka i and aid in developing the medical infrastructure in Hawai i. Despite direct contact with the patients over many years, Cope did not contract the disease.

Cope was baptized Maria Anna Barbara Koob, later anglicizing her last name to Cope. She was born January 23, 1838, in Heppenheim in the Grand Duchy of Hesse to Peter Koob and Barbara Witzenbacher . The following year her family emigrated to the United States, settling in the industrial city of Utica, New York. They became members of the Parish of St Joseph, where Cope attended parish school. By the time she was in eighth grade, her father had become an invalid. As the oldest child, Cope left school to work in a textile factory to help support her family. Her father became naturalized as an American citizen, which at the time meant the entire family received automatic citizenship status.

Source: Wikipedia