Maria Kaupas

On August 29, 1907, Casimira Kaupas pronounced her religious vows under the name Sister Maria (later becoming Mother Maria), marking the official foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Casimir, named in honor of the patron saint of Lithuania. Father Anthony Staniukynas, pastor of Holy Cross parish in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, became the spiritual guide and director of the young community.

The work of the congregation expanded rapidly: - Education: On January 6, 1908, the sisters opened their first parochial school, Holy Cross School in Mount Carmel, for the children of Lithuanian immigrants. Faced with an influx of requests, the congregation transferred its administration and established its motherhouse in Chicago, Illinois, in 1911, a city that then housed a very large Lithuanian population. The sisters opened numerous parochial schools there, as well as the Maria High School academy. - Healthcare: During the terrible Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, Mother Maria also directed her community toward the care of the sick. She had sisters trained as nurses, which led to the founding of Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago in 1929. - International expansion: In 1920, at the request of the Lithuanian bishops, Mother Maria returned to her homeland to establish the congregation there, setting up a convent and a school in Pažaislis. The work would later also extend to New Mexico and as far as Argentina.

Mother Maria Kaupas led the congregation as Superior General for 27 years, from 1913 until her death. Afflicted with bone cancer, she passed away on April 17, 1940, at the motherhouse in Chicago, surrounded by her sisters.

From the moment of her death, Mother Maria Kaupas's reputation for holiness was immense among the faithful, priests, and religious who knew her. Thousands of people attended her funeral, and the local press immediately spoke of the future opening of a cause for canonization. The cause for beatification was officially introduced in the Archdiocese of Chicago. On September 6, 1988, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the nihil obstat decree, granting her the title of Servant of God. The diocesan inquiry into her life and virtues took place from June 12, 1989, to February 18, 1990, and its validity was recognized by a Roman decree on March 22, 1996. The Positio, a summary document on the heroic nature of her virtues, was published in 2000. It received a unanimous favorable vote from the theological consultants on October 30, 2009, and then from the cardinals and bishops on May 18, 2010.

On July 1, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree on the heroic nature of her virtues, officially conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, a miracle attributed to her intercession must be formally recognized by the Holy See. Several reports of unexplained healings have been submitted and are currently under investigation.

The spirituality of Mother Maria Kaupas rests on an absolute trust in divine providence and a deep love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin. Her entire life was guided by her motto: "Always more, always better, always with love."\n\nHer circular letters, addressed regularly to her sisters, testify to a spiritual life centered on participation in the paschal mystery, inviting them to embrace daily sufferings with patience and love. Her legacy continues today through the Sisters of Saint Casimir, engaged in education, healthcare ministry, and social service in the United States and Lithuania. In Pennsylvania, the Mother Maria Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel perpetuates her memory by serving as a center for volunteering and community action for the most destitute.