Franciscan Sister Joselle Orlando, second from right, and Father Malachi Van Tassell, president of Saint Francis University, were joined by Dr. Kerri Golden, left, and Cynthia Zane at the installation and blessing of Sister Orlando’s triptych. (Courtesy Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities)
By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
St. Marianne Cope’s legacy of faith, care and selfless service in Hawaii is now touching young lives in central Pennsylvania with the installation of inspiring new artwork at a historic Catholic university.
Sister Joselle Orlando, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities — like St. Marianne — painted a three-panel artwork known as a triptych dedicated to St. Marianne for Saint Francis University, located in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
The triptych is prominently displayed in the university’s new Saint Margaret Hall building, which houses the occupational therapy program and also serves physician assistant students.
It was installed and blessed May 31 by Saint Francis University’s president, Franciscan Father Malachi Van Tassell. Also present at the blessing were Sister Orlando; Dr. Kerri Golden, dean of the university’s School of Health Sciences and Education; and Cynthia Zane, retired president of Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York, who has been working to bring St. Marianne’s story to Franciscan colleges and universities nationwide.
(Saint Francis University was founded in 1847 by friars of the Franciscans of the Third Order Regular in Ireland; Hilbert College was founded in 1957 by Sister Edwina Bogel, of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, and is named for the founder of that order, Mother Colette Hilbert.)
In an interview with the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Sister Orlando, 84, said she has been depicting St. Marianne and her impactful life in watercolors for the past 15 years.
“My only desire for painting the story of St. Marianne is that others will see my paintings and be inspired by the heroic dedication of our dear St. Marianne, of all the sisters who dedicated their lives and love to work with her (even) to this day, as well as those who share the compassion of St. Francis … who inspired St. Marianne,” said the retired art teacher, who resides at the Franciscan Villa in Syracuse, New York.
‘Immediately hooked’
Sister Orlando’s talent and her interest in St. Marianne were shared with Father Van Tassell by her fellow Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, Sister Margaret Carney.
Father Van Tassell said that he was “immediately hooked” when he saw photos of Sister Orlando’s work.
“St. Marianne exemplifies Franciscan values in the healing profession,” he told the Hawaii Catholic Herald in explaining why he sought art of her for Saint Margaret Hall. “Her work with (Hansen’s disease patients), providing them care and comfort, is an inspiration to future health sciences professionals.
“I think, too, it is important for people to know of a strong female Franciscan saint who overcame obstacles to do God’s work.”
Sister Orlando said the initial concept for the artwork was a mural, but that she suggested a triptych instead (which she could complete at her art studio in Fayetteville, New York). Working with oils rather than her favored watercolors, she completed the three large canvases — which are about 4 feet tall and together span seven to eight feet — over the winter months.
On May 31, she and a fellow sister traveled to Saint Francis University for the triptych’s installation and blessing.
A poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, written in 1889 and dedicated to Mother Marianne, accompanies the three panels.
“I have been very blessed to have been commissioned to create the triptych dedicated to St. Marianne at this time in my life,” Sister Orlando said. “To be called upon to do such a task at 84 years young was a worry but also a great joy.
“I felt God leading my thoughts and hand all through the process,” she continued. “Mother Marianne and I had many conversations and I trusted her to lead me. I also conversed with St. Damien (de Veuster) and the other sisters I added to the scene.
“So I guess one can say, all was prayer from start to finish!”
