Mother Marianne Cope, the Roman Catholic nun who ministered to leprosy patients on Moloka'i alongside Father Damien de Veuster, has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Mother Marianne and nine other women, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., were enshrined over the weekend in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

No one from Kalaupapa was able to attend, but the community sent maile and orchid lei that fellow Franciscan nuns draped over a large panel that holds Mother Marianne's photograph and a narrative of her life as a healthcare pioneer.

"One of the most touching moments came when the sisters were all arranging the leis around the frame," said Anwei Skinsnes Law, a University of Hawai'i graduate who nominated Mother Marianne for the honor. "It was like they were still taking care of each other."

In May, Mother Marianne moved one step closer to sainthood when she was beatified during a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Two days later, Pope Benedict XVI met with the 24-year-old American woman whose cure from multiple organ failure set Mother Marianne on the road to sainthood.

"This is surely her year," said Winifred Harada, the Kalaupapa resident who attended the Rome ceremony. "The timing is fantastic with everything going for her."

The late Hawai'i Congresswoman Patsy Mink was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.