Maria Kaupas, S.S.C., (January 6, 1880 – April 17, 1940) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

who founded the

Sisters of Saint Casimir The Sisters of Saint Casimir are a Roman Catholic religious community of women founded in 1907 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Mother Maria Kaupas. It is dedicated to Saint Casimir, patron saint of Lithuania. Description Mother Maria, a native of L ...

. She was born Casimira Kaupas in

Ramygala Ramygala (, literally "quiet end") is a city in Lithuania. It is located some south from Panevėžys on the banks of the Upytė River, a tributary to the Nevėžis River. According to 2017 estimate, it had 1,440 residents. History The name "R ...

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. At the age of 17, she emigrated to the United States, where she settled in

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to work as a housekeeper for her brother, Anthony Kaupas, who was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Joseph

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

there. While there, she had her first contact with religious sisters and was attracted by their way of life. She also became aware of her countrymen's struggle due to the language barrier, especially in their spiritual life. Overcome by homesickness, Kaupas returned to Lithuania in 1901, but she kept seeking to determine where her call in life was. She soon resolved to become a teaching Sister, especially committed to the care of the Lithuanian immigrants in America. Kaupas' brother soon informed her that the Lithuanian clergy in the United States sought to establish a new community of religious sisters dedicated to teaching the youth of their community in a religious setting and preserving their native language and customs. She was asked to lead this new venture, and she began her studies toward this end with the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross in Switzerland in October 1902. Although the Priests Council disbanded in 1904, Kaupas determined nonetheless to pursue the idea of a new religious

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

. In 1905

Jeremiah F. Shanahan Jeremiah Francis Shanahan (July 17, 1834 – September 24, 1886) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania from 1868 until his death in1886. Biography Early life ...

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of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg The Diocese of Harrisburg is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams County, Pennsylvania, Adams, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Cumberlan ...

, Pennsylvania, agreed to sponsor this new congregation. M. Cyril accepted Kaupas and two companions into the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the

Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) is a Catholic religious institute of sisters, founded by Fr Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR, and a co-founder of the Oblate Sister of Providence, Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin, in 1845. ...

, based in Scranton, for their preparation for

consecrated life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...

. At that time, she received the

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should ...

of Sister Maria. On August 29, 1907, Kaupas made her

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religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

, and the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Casimir was founded. The Sisters immediately began to work in the parochial schools of the region. In 1911, they established their

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

in Chicago, where there was a large Lithuanian population. They began to staff schools in Lithuanian parishes of the city. Over time, Sisters were sent to teach in many parishes across the United States, Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian. Their service also came to include home missions in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. In 1928, the Sisters of St. Casimir began their health care ministry with Holy Cross Hospital's opening in Chicago. She founded the beautiful school Villa Joseph Marie in Holland, Pennsylvania. This school remains thriving to this day. It is situated on beautiful acres of property at the corner of Holland and middle Holland Road. It has roughly under 400 students and 40 faculty members. It has countless elective opportunities, clubs, and classes available. Students often attend highly selective universities post VJMHS graduation. See http://www.vjmhs.org/ for more information. Kaupas died in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, on April 17, 1940. In 2010, she was found to have lived a life of heroic virtue by the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

in Rome and was declared

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.Catholic News Service

See also