SYRACUSE -- A special event was held Tuesday morning in Syracuse to honor Blessed Mother Marianne Cope, who will soon become a saint.
Pope Benedict XVI approved Cope for sainthood earlier this month after the Vatican confirmed a second miracle attributed to the former Syracuse nun. She should be canonized next year.
The Sisters of St. Francis say this is a good opportunity to tell the world about Cope's good works.
"We do believe that her virtues and her passion and dedication are something we can all take into society in our own lives," says Sister Patricia Burkard.
Bishop Robert Cunningham of the Syracuse Diocese spoke at the Shrine and Museum to Blessed Marianne Cope. He says a saint with ties to Syracuse is an honor for Central New York.
Cope lived in Syracuse and Utica. She helped found St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, and what was then called St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica. She later moved to Hawaii to work with leprosy patients.
