Saint Theodore Guerin was born Anne-Therese Guerin in Brittany, France on October 2, 1798. I am very surprised that we celebrate her feast day on her birthday and not on her death date. I had only thought there were 3 birthdays we celebrated: Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist.
Anne-Therese joined the Sisters of Providence in France on August 18, 1823 and she took the name of Sister Saint Theodore and took her final vows on September 5, 1831. After some years of teaching she and 5 other sisters were sent to the Diocese of Vincennes (now Archdiocese of Indianapolis since 1898), Indiana. Their missionary journey from France to New York was from July 27, 1840 to September 4, 1840 and finally coming to Indiana on October 22, 1840.
They established the Academy of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on July 4, 1841 which was the first Catholic women's liberal arts college in United States. They established schools in 11 cities in Indiana and 1 in Illinois. The sisters then founded an orphanage for girls and one for boys in Indiana and they also opened pharmacies to give medicines for the poor. They then opened a Motherhouse for the sisters of their Providence.
She died of natural causes on May 14, 1856 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and was buried at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. There are 3 schools that bear Saint Theodore Gurin's name. By the time of Mother Theodore's death, the Sisters of Providence congregation had grown from six sisters and four postulants to 67 professed members, nine novices and seven postulants. More than 5,200 have entered the Sisters of Providence since 1840. As of 2010, there are nearly 400 sisters in the order, about 300 who live and minister from the grounds of the Motherhouse in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The other sisters minister in 19 states in the USA and Asia. There are foreign missions in Taiwan and China. She was recently canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2006.
I was drawn to Saint Thedore's life because her order founded the first women's college in the United States. As having graduated from a women's college (Saint Joseph College) I can appreciate the efforts they put forth for the young women more than 150 years before I graduated from college. I find it sad that SJC is losing (I feel) its Catholic identity. One example is that the new buildings were named North and South Halls, not with names that represent a Catholic identity such as Mercy, Madonna, Rosary, Assumption, etc. I even wrote the new president a letter a couple years ago; I got a letter back, but I really do not think she heard my concerns. I can continue to pray for my alma mater in hopes it will not lose its founding mission of Catholic identity.
"God shares our miserable dwelling with us. He remains with us day and night. Yes, while you are peacefully sleeping Jesus is watching over you."
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