Utica, NY (WIBX) - Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica is hosting a special Mass in honor of Saint Marianne Cope's canonization.

The Mass will be held this Sunday at noon in the Medical Center's Chapel.

Bob Schofield, Chief Operating Officer for the hospital, says Saint Marianne's dedication to health and well-being were the basis for her remarkable work.

"The Sisters themselves knew that there was a need in the community for healthcare, they knew that the doctors were going only to the homes, so they provided it," Schofield said. "In addition to St. Elizabeth's, Saint Marianne and others did the same thing in Syracuse, and three years started St. Joseph's Hospital."

Prior to starting her religious life in 1862, Saint Marianne Cope was a resident of West Utica, attending Saint Joseph-Saint Patrick Church. In 1883, she left the city with other Sisters of Saint Francis to care for those suffering from Hansen's disease in Molokai, Hawaii. She would stay there until her death in 1918.

Pope Benedict the 16th will canonize Saint Marianne Cope on Sunday at the Vatican in Rome.

More From WIBX 950