News & Updates
Hundreds Support Sisters of St. Casimir at their Last Motherhouse Mass
Recently, the Sisters of Saint Casimir held their last Mass in their Motherhouse Chapel in Chicago, IL.
More than 350 friends of the Sisters of St. Casimir joined them to celebrate the last Mass in their Motherhouse Chapel in Chicago’s Marquette Park neighborhood on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The Mass coincided with the 119th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Casimir (founded by Mother Maria Kaupas in 1907 to serve the Lithuanian Catholic immigrant community in the United States) marking over a century of presence at the Marquette Park location.
Hundreds of friends, community members, and representatives gathered alongside the Sisters for the bittersweet farewell. Eight priests served as concelebrants for the historic liturgy.
The convent and its members served as a profound community anchor for 101 years in the Chicago area, running schools, social service programs, and Holy Cross Hospital.
Before founding her congregation, Maria Kaupas and her companions came to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where they were received into the novitiate of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mother M. Cyril Conway, IHM, played an important role in preparing and supporting Maria as she discerned and established the new congregation. They remained close friends until Mother Maria’s death in 1940.
The IHM congregation provided the first general superiors, formation directors, and educators for the SSC until Mother Maria was elected general superior in 1913. Both communities share an Alphonsian spiritual heritage, a devotion to Mary, and a commitment to serving God’s people. Our relationship includes sharing life, collaborative projects, retreat experiences, and administrative and governance support from the IHM Scranton community. The bond was further solidified when the SSC formally entrusted aspects of their governance and leadership transfer to IHM support in 2024 while maintaining their distinct identity as Sisters of St. Casimir.
Words cannot adequately describe the emotions of this final mass: awe, gratitude, joy, respect, love, compassion, pride, and hope. Perhaps the most poignant part was the recessional when SSC and IHM Sisters walked side by side holding hands – a visual statement of this exceptional moment and belief in our vibrant shared future.
