“Always more, always better, always with love.”
Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas lived this motto throughout her ministry of serving Catholic Lithuanian immigrants in the United States – including here in the Diocese of Harrisburg.
The foundress of the Sisters of St. Casimir, she and their religious order began their ministry in Mount Carmel in the early 1900s, helping people of her native land preserve their language and culture while nurturing communities of faith as the congregation spread across the country.
In Mount Carmel, the Mother Maria Kaupas Center is keeping her legacy alive, shining as a beacon of light in the coal region.
“The center was established to revitalize both the Church and the community and was the idea of our former pastor, Father Martin Moran, who envisioned it as a ministry of Divine Redeemer Parish,” said Jake Betz, the director of the center, located next to Divine Redeemer Church.
Spirited by the life and example of Mother Maria Kaupas and the Sisters of St. Casimir, the center is dedicated to the sustainability of the Mount Carmel area and consistently works with local groups, community leaders and students from Bucknell University on projects and outreach aimed at helping individuals facing economic instability.
Since its dedication in 2015 – attended by leadership from the Sisters of St. Casimir who traveled from Chicago to celebrate their foundress’ legacy – the center has served as a home base for weeklong service projects, committee meetings for outreach programs, and parish religious education classes. It has also opened its doors to a local pro-life pregnancy center that provides services to clients twice a week, and it conducts a monthly distribution of diapers, a necessity not covered by SNAP or WIC.
Operating out of what was once the convent of the former St. Peter Parish, the center’s quaint private rooms, spacious common areas, bountiful spiritual library and large kitchen offer the perfect setting for community, compassion and faith.
Black and white photos of the first Sisters of St. Casimir and a young Casimira Kaupas, who would become their founder, adorn the center’s hallways and walls, a reminder of their zeal for service and a legacy that will forever be embedded in Mount Carmel’s history.
Born in Lithuania in 1880, Casimira Kaupas became inspired by the ministry of religious sisters when she came to Scranton, Pa., in 1897 to serve as a housekeeper for her brother, Father Anthony Kaupas, who was pastor of St. Joseph Parish there. She returned to Lithuania and discerned a religious vocation, and when she again came to the United States in 1905, she brought two companions who were also eager to enter religious life.
Bishop John W. Shanahan of the Diocese of Harrisburg agreed to sponsor the new congregation and made arrangements for the three young women to enter the novitiate of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for their preparation for religious life.
On August 30, 1907, Mother Maria Kaupas, Mother Immaculata Dvaranauskas and Mother Concepta Ungaraitis made their profession of vows, and the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Casimir was formed, named for the patron saint of Lithuania. They established the former Holy Cross School in Mount Carmel, the first school in the United States dedicated to serving the children of Lithuanian immigrants. In 1928, the congregation began its health care ministry in Chicago and later spread to Michigan, Texas and Argentina.
Mother Maria was diagnosed with cancer in 1933. She died on April 17, 1940, at the age of 60. Pope Benedict XVI recognized the heroic virtues of Mother Maria Kaupas on July 1, declaring her Venerable. Her cause is awaiting a miracle that would lead to beatification.
The center that bears her name holds a monthly Mass in its chapel to pray for her and for everyone who is served through the ministries there.
“We are the hands and feet of Jesus in service to people,” said Father Bernard Wamayose, AJ, pastor of Divine Redeemer Parish. “We are a Catholic facility, but we serve people of all faiths,” he said. “The center is a place of community and spiritual activity, and it is a wonderful way to remember Mother Maria Kaupas.”
Pointing to a stenciled quote painted on a wall near a portrait of Mother Maria Kaupas, Father Wamayose paused. “We work to serve the people as she would say and as these words say, ‘Always more, always better, always with love.’”
Learn more about the center at https://mothermariakaupascenter.wordpress.com/ and read about the life and work of MMK at https://www.sistersofstcasimir.org/who-we-are/our-foundress/.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
