In this portrait, artist Philip B. Sabado, who was raised on Molokai, has captured the essence and spirit of Blessed Mother Marianne. To understand and appreciate the painting, please begin in the upper left corner and follow clockwise:

1. Saint Damien is to the right of Sister; it was his fervent wish that the Sisters would one day join him in his mission to serve God and man. The place where they served was Kalaupapa, Molokai. Mother Maryanne would be at his bedside after only being on Molokai for seven months before he passed.
2. The small red space is where Father Damien held his affected right arm. The sling was hand-made by Mother Maryanne.
3. Behind Saint Damien is Saint Francis Church; this church was erected in 1899-1900. This is the church that stood at the time both Mother Marianne and St. Damien served those in Kalaupapa.
4. To the left of Mother Marianne are the sheer cliffs of Kalawao; it was here where those patients came to spend their remaining years.
5. The memorial for Mother Marianne at the base of the Pali (mountains) comes from the grounds of the sisters' residence and girls home located in Kalaupapa.
6. Queen Kapiolani is represented in this portrait because of her love and compassion for her people. It was said that as she wept she thanked the sisters for coming to take care of “My poor afflicted people.”
7. The girls that the sisters cared for were taught culture, music and drama to enrich their lives and as a means to escape their imprisonment. It was said that Mother Marianne’s favorite song was “O Makalapua” written by Queen Liliuokalani.
8. The two Japanese girls (nearest to Father Damien) were adopted and lovingly raised by Mother Maryanne. They hold bouquets of island flowers, picked from her garden. She would always refresh her spirit by indulging her love for plants.
9. The ferns at the center of the painting represent mementos sent in the letters to her Mother Superior in Syracuse, New York. She had no gifts to send, so she pressed ferns from Kalaupapa.
10. The Rosary in Sister’s hands is a Franciscan Rosary with seven decades. Normally, Rosary’s have five .
11. The plumeria blossoms in the center of the painting are special. At first, the flowers did not separate Mother Maryanne from the sisters and the girls. A visiting sister saw the painting before its completion and offered to tell a secret only the sisters of her ‘Mother House’ knew. Apparently, a doctor had traveled to Syracuse to invite Mother Maryanne to come to Hawaii, he carried fresh plumeria blossoms in his hands to entice her, she loved flowers, and it worked. When the artist heard the story, he knew it was one of the elements that would give this painting that special touch. At that moment he smiled because he knew ‘the secret’ could now be shared with the world. The fern to either side of the plumeria blossoms is another special aspect. When Mother Maryanne wrote letters to her family as well as Mother Superior in The Mother House in Syracuse, she had nothing to send as a gift, so she pressed ferns as a memento of Hawaii.
12. Some twenty-seven years ago, while living in California, the artist would hunt antique bookstores in search of old journals about Hawaii. He loved reading about how they saw the islands in their time. A slim tattered book printed in 1917 was waiting for him. Deep within the chapters was a picture of these Sisters coming from Sunday Mass with the girls buffeting the wind. Something about their freedom in the wind and their white dresses is enchanting.
13. The pillars and awning is the front porch of the girls' home. Mother Marianne and the sisters took great pride in making dresses for the girl’s in the late 1880’s. Bolts of fabric, hats and shoes came from Europe for this purpose. The disease affected them all, but they were still girls that deserved to feel pretty. In the original photo there was no pillars or porch. At first I complained about inserting the division, he looked at me with a confident expression, and then I exclaimed, “It is like you have them in prison, behind bars!” He remained silent, and then I saw what he did. He then said; you see the sisters are leading them out! The sisters are in the forefront; the girls are coming through the gates, they have guided them into the light. The expression “All dressed up and no where to go” pains but delights me.
14. She promised her sisters they would never contract this disease ; not one of the sisters ever did to this day, as a nurse she understood and cautioned her sisters, ”always wash your hands!”

 

Blessed Mother Marianne Cope 1838-1918
"I am not afraid of any disease..."