Sister Rosaire Kopczenski of the Sisters of St. Francis in Millvale, Pennsylvania was commissioned to create a sculpture of Blessed Marianne Cope. The sculpture will be placed in a park near the harbor where Mother Marianne and her sister companions first landed in Honolulu, Hawaii, by the year 2010. She has completed a three-foot sculpture (pictured), which is currently at the Carolina Bronze Scupture in Seagrove, NC. It will be digitally enlarged to six feet and cast in bronze. A real rosary and cord will be cast using a process which will allow these aspects to appear real.

Sister Rosaire wanted the sculpture to reflect Mother Marianne's work in Hawaii. Her robe and veil reflect movement forward, and one hand is to her chest to show her empathy for others, while the other reaches out to the world in front of her. She chose a hula pose that reflected the religious background of the dance and the work of Mother Marianne.

"I had to find a position that could show she was 'hungry for the work,' said Sr. Rosaire. "I am hungry for the work" is a well-known quote that Mother Marianne wrote when she responded to the Hawaiian officials in her letter accepting their request to come and help their people who were suffering from disease.

In her research, Sister Rosaire has travelled to the Blessed Marianne Shrine and Museum in Syracuse, New York to view pictures of Mother Marianne and examine archives (pictured to the left). She read books about Mother Marianne and spent five weeks in Hawaii studying the culture. Currently, she is in North Carolina where they are setting the statue in bronze and will remain there until the project's completion.

In an interview with Bethany Hofstetter of the Pine Creek Journal (WPA Region), she said the statue will be near a busy harbor, and she hopes many people will see the statue and be inspired by Mother Marianne.

"I want them to wonder what she did and go to find her story."