4 Lessons in Compassionate Leadership From Saint Marianne Cope

A woman ahead of her time. A healer of body, mind, and soul.

Lesson 1: Lead with presence, not position

Saint Marianne didn’t lead from a pedestal; she led by being fully present with the people she served.

Even as an administrator, she could be scrubbing hospital floors or sitting at the bedside of someone dying. She embodied the Franciscan belief that true leadership begins in humble service.

Lesson 2: Say yes, even to the hard things

When others turned away in fear, Saint Marianne accepted the call to care for people with Hansen’s disease in Hawai‘i.

She showed us that one’s comfort doesn’t come from avoiding others’ pain but meeting it with courage and compassion.

Lesson 3: Care for the whole person

She was a pioneer in holistic care long before the term existed. She saw her patients as whole people: mind, body, and spirit.

She prioritized cleanliness, dignity, art, beauty, and laughter as essential parts of healing.

Lesson 4: Build Bridges, Not Barriers

Often surrounded by discrimination, she advocated for those in the margins of society. She stood behind immigrants, nurtured the poor and the sick, and offered compassion to those facing mental illness.

Saint Marianne reminds us that inclusive leadership grounded in love has the power to transform entire systems.

What can we learn from her today?

Lead with love. Ask boldly: Who are the outcasts of today, and how can we show up for them?

Compassion doesn’t just mean caring for those who are excluded but actively seeking them out. In Marianne’s footsteps, we are called to confront modern stigma, recognize all suffering, and advocate for those the world forgets.