St. Marianne Cope Museum

What St. Marianne Cope Museum does

The Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum is a non-profit religious museum and shrine located at 601 N. Townsend St., Syracuse, NY, founded in 2014 and operated as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. The organization preserves and shares the legacy of Saint Marianne Cope, a canonized Catholic saint who devoted 35 years to caring for those with Hansen's disease on Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii. Core offerings include the physical museum with displays, artifacts, audio-visual exhibits, and a first-class relic; the Cope Gift Shop selling books, prints, cards, artwork, and jewelry both on-site and via e-commerce; and the Empathy in Action educational program suite covering empathy, servant leadership, ethics, and caregiver training through workshops, retreats, and a developing certificate program. Supporting products include prayer and novena resources, sensory healing programs in partnership with CNY Music Therapy, memorial brick sponsorships, and the forthcoming 'Sunshine, and Shadow' self-published journal.

The business model is donation- and merchandise-driven. Admission is free with a suggested $10 donation; memorial brick and journal sponsorships start at $25, with premium tiers at $100. Go-to-market is event-driven: brick blessing ceremonies, group tours, workshops, retreats, and content marketing through a website, email newsletter, YouTube interview series, Eventbrite, and organic social media. Customer segments span pilgrims and religious visitors, healthcare professionals and caregivers, non-profit leaders, and educational/school groups across the Northeast US, with e-commerce reach for gift shop sales extending globally in principle. The organization employs 1-10 people, is led by Interim Director Sister Cheryl Wint, o.s.f., and operates without disclosed revenue, venture funding, or public-market exposure under its parent nonprofit foundation structure.

Name

St. Marianne Cope Museum

Legal name

Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum

Website

https://saintmarianne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum is a Syracuse, NY-based non-profit religious museum and shrine preserving the legacy of the canonized saint, operating a gift shop, archives, and the Empathy in Action education program for pilgrims, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and educational groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines) (THAJACAG)

Keywords

• Religious heritage museum
• Shrine and archives
• Empathy education programs
• Gift shop merchandise
• Nonprofit pilgrimage experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The museum accepts donations from visitors and supporters, with suggested admission donation of $10 per visitor. Donations support the museum's educational and inspirational mission.
2. Gift Shop Sales: The Cope Gift Shop sells books, prints, cards, artwork, jewelry, and merchandise. All profits benefit the Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum to support its educational mission and vision to promote empathy and compassion.
3. Memorial Brick Sponsorship: Donors can sponsor memorial bricks in the Maurillo Family Garden. Giving opportunities start at $25 for general sponsorship.
4. Journal Publication Sponsorship: Sponsorship of the 'Sunshine, and Shadow' journal publication, with giving opportunities starting at $25 and a $100 donation offering a coupon for a first edition copy with bonus features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum operates a physical museum, shrine, and archives at 601 N. Townsend St., Syracuse, NY, dedicated to preserving and sharing the legacy of Saint Marianne Cope, a canonized Catholic saint who served Hansen's disease patients in Hawaii. The museum also runs the Empathy in Action education program offering workshops, retreats, and a caregiver certificate program, plus an on-site and online gift shop selling books, prints, cards, artwork, jewelry, and merchandise whose profits support the museum's mission.

Product overview

The Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum operates as a unified offering centered on preserving and sharing the legacy of Saint Marianne Cope. The core experience consists of the physical museum and shrine (601 N. Townsend St., Syracuse, NY) with displays, artifacts, and audio-visual exhibits. The Empathy in Action program suite offers educational workshops and certificate programs teaching empathy, compassion, and peace practices. Supporting offerings include the Cope Gift Shop for merchandise, the Sunshine and Shadow journal publication, prayer and novena resources, and sensory healing programs in partnership with CNY Music Therapy. These products collectively serve to educate visitors and program participants about Saint Marianne's values of compassion and service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empathy in Action: A community program of the Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum that offers educational programs designed to help individuals and professionals develop practical skills in empathy, compassion, and peace for personal and community well-being.

Products and services

• Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum The official museum, shrine, and archives dedicated to Saint Marianne Cope, featuring displays, artifacts, audio-visual exhibits, and educational outreach that share her message of respect and compassion. Includes a first-class relic of Saint Marianne within a reliquary.
• Cope Gift Shop

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent religious community that sponsors the Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum. The sisters provide the spiritual foundation and mission direction for the museum and its Empathy in Action programs. Saint Marianne was a member of this congregation.
• Diocese of SyracusecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided media coverage for the museum, recognizing its dedication to the life and legacy of Saint Marianne Cope.
• Francis HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Empathy in Action program. Rev. Jana Biesanz serves as Director of Mission Outreach & Education at Francis House and is a Program Committee Member.
• St. Joseph's HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner contributing to the Empathy in Action program. Rachelle Lando serves as Healing Arts Program Coordinator and Rev. Joe Colon serves as Spiritual Care Team Manager at St. Joseph's Health, both serving on the Program Committee.
• CNY Music TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sensory Empowerment & Healing programs. Collaborating on music therapy series including 'Singing Solutions for Dementia Care' and 'Singing Solutions for Lung Health' created by board-certified Music Therapist Kath Fathers.
• Teaching and Educational PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partners for development of the Communication, Connection & Compassion (CCC) Certificate Program designed to support caregivers and provide continuing education opportunities.
• National Women's Hall of FameminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributors to the upcoming 'Sunshine, and Shadow' journal publication, providing excerpts and commentary alongside photographs and historical documentation.
• Kate and Mary MahoneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributors of content to the 'Sunshine, and Shadow' journal publication documenting Saint Marianne Cope's legacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Auriesville Shrine: Catholic pilgrimage site in Auriesville, NY, operated by the Jesuit Fathers. Comparable as a New York State Catholic shrine focused on saint-related visitation, group tours, and religious education.
• National Women's Hall of Fame: Heritage institution in Seneca Falls, NY, recognizing American women. Already a content contributor to the museum's 'Sunshine, and Shadow' journal, and directly comparable as a New York State women's-heritage nonprofit.
• Erie Canal Museum: Regional history museum in Syracuse, NY. Comparable as a small Syracuse heritage nonprofit with similar admission model, group tours, and educational programming.
• Everson Museum of Art: Art museum located in Syracuse, NY. Comparable as a Syracuse-based heritage/educational nonprofit museum serving a similar regional visitor base.

Broad incumbents

• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: The largest Catholic church in North America, located in Washington, D.C. Comparable as a major Catholic heritage and pilgrimage destination with shrine operations, gift shop, and group/educational programming, though at far larger scale.
• Museum of the Bible: Large-scale religious-heritage museum in Washington, D.C. Comparable as a faith-rooted heritage museum offering exhibits, gift shop, and educational programming, though at substantially larger scale and budget.

Direct peers

• St. Anthony Shrine: Catholic Franciscan shrine in Boston. Comparable as a Franciscan-heritage shrine with public visitation, gift shop, and faith-based educational programming, sharing the same religious-order sponsorship model.
• National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini: Chicago-based Catholic shrine dedicated to another canonized American saint. Highly comparable as a single-saint heritage destination operated by a religious order, with similar pilgrimage visitation and gift shop dynamics.
• The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Catholic Marian shrine. Comparable as a Catholic devotional site featuring relics, gift shop, group pilgrimages, and religious educational programming.
• National Shrine of Saint Jude: Catholic shrine dedicated to Saint Jude, long associated with the Claretian Missionaries. Comparable as a saint-specific Catholic shrine operating pilgrimages, gift shop, and prayer-based programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saintmarianneshrinemuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. Marianne Cope Museum