Mother Maria Scholarship Established at Marywood University
The Mother Maria Scholarship has been established to honor and recognize the extraordinary faith and courage of The Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas, SSC, Foundress of the Sisters of St. Casimir and a Venerable Servant of God, and to support the educational pursuits of students from Villa Joseph Marie High School, Holland, Pennsylvania, who attend Marywood University.
As a young girl, the Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas, then known simply as Casimira,came to the United States from Ramygala, Lithuania, to assist her older brother, the Reverend Anthony Kaupas, who was a priest in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was during her four-year stay that she encountered Sisters for the first time and was drawn to their life of prayer and service to God’s people. She returned to her native country with more questions than answers. After a short time, however, God’s call on her life became clear, and she told her brother she wished to return to the United States to enter a community of Sisters. He told her that the Priests’ League of Pennsylvania wanted her to establish a congregation of women religious to educate youth in a Catholic setting, as well as to help preserve the Lithuanian language and customs. Later, when funding was lacking for such an initiative, Casimira persisted, relying on God’s guidance.
Following formation studies and training in Switzerland, she and two companions set sail for America to realize their dream. When Casimira arrived in Scranton, Mother M. Cyril Conway, IHM, Mother Superior of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scranton, welcomed her and her companions with open arms and helped prepare them to form a new Community of Sisters. On August 29, 1907, the three women put on their religious habits and were received into the novitiate of the IHM Sisters. In fact, the IHM Wellspring Fountain in Marywood’s Motherhouse and Seminary Morgan Memorial Garden marks the area of the former Motherhouse Chapel where Casimira took her vows. The new congregation, the Sisters of Saint Casimir, honored the patron of Lithuania, and the new Sisters’ names honored the Blessed Mother. Thus, Casimira became Sister Maria, and she stepped forward boldly into her new vocation and mission.
Mother Maria’s motto, “Always More, Always Better, Always with Love,” endures today at Villa Joseph Marie, the school she founded in 1932. Her belief in a life of faith, love, and service has been acclaimed as her path to sainthood continues, and her spirit is reflected in Villa Joseph Marie’s ongoing commitment to the dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each student. These core values, this vital mission, and that courageous spirit mirror those of Marywood University, where the Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas’s journey started. To honor her selfless courage, abiding faith, and steadfast mission, Marywood University, in collaboration with the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, has established the Mother Maria Scholarship, to recognize and continue the noble work that she began, and to further inspire Christ-like women in their pursuit of faith, service, lifelong learning, and empowered global citizenship.
Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D.
President of Marywood University
September 12, 2017
Sister Mary Persico presents the Mother Maria Scholarship to the Villa Joseph Marie High School board members.
