Updated 10/20/2012 05:03 PM
Pilgrims Celebrate Canonization Of Two Women From New York State
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Religious pilgrims are in Rome this weekend to celebrate the elevation of two women from New York State to Catholic sainthood.
Mother Marianne Cope (1838-1918), a Syracuse nun, is being honored for her care for those suffering from leprosy in an isolated peninsula in Hawaii.
The other new saint, Kateri Tekakwitha, was a 17th-century Native American who left her village to dedicate herself to the Catholic faith.
Both women will be among seven religious figures elevated at a Sunday ceremony.
Native American and Hawaiian pilgrims said they had waited patiently for the special day.
"We've been praying for it a lot, so we're so thankful," said one pilgrim.
"Praying, praying every day that she will become a saint," said another. "Now it's happening, so a lot of people are here for that."
Hundreds of worshippers also celebrated Tekakwitha's upcoming canonization at shrines at the two upstate towns, Auriesville and Fonda, where Tekakwitha grew up.