Mother Theodore Guerin

Mother Théodore Guérin was born Anne-Thérèse Guérin on October 2, 1798, in France. She founded the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods congregation in Indiana along with numerous schools. Early in her life, while still in France, Guérin entered the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé-sur-Loir order. In 1840, she and several other sisters journeyed to Indiana and arrived at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, a small village in what is now Vigo county. Théodore Guérin’s superiors in the church wanted a new congregation set up in the village, and from then on she was known as Mother Théodore.

Less than a year after Mother Théodore and the sisters arrived in Indiana they opened their first school, Saint Mary's Academy for young women. For the next decade she worked not just within her own church parish but many others in Indiana to help start their own schools. For the remainder of her life Mother Théodore would remain a powerful advocate and champion for education. Mother Théodore helped establish schools in Terre Haute, Evansville, Lanesville, Jasper, Columbus, Madison, Fort Wayne, and more. She also played a large part in the establishment of orphanages and pharmacies located in Vincennes and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Mother Théodore died at 57 on May 14, 1856. The Catholic Telegraph and Advocate, an Ohio newspaper, wrote upon her death, “To judge from the celestial expression of her countenance as she lay in death, there is every reason to believe that she has already taken her abode among the Saints in Heaven, enjoying the munificence of God, who rewards His servants according to their works.” In 2006, Mother Théodore was canonized as a Catholic saint, Saint Theodora Guérin. She now rests at The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, which contains a small museum dedicated to her life.