Saint Théodore Guérin lived between 1798 till 1856 and is also known as Saint Theodora. She was born in Etables, France near the end of the French revolution. From her youth, she knew she wanted to be a nun, but delayed her entry into the vocation due to the depression her mother suffered after the murder of her father when she was 15 and the death of her two siblings. Saint Theodore took over the household tasks and also cared for her mother and her remaining sister. At the age of 25, she gained her mother’s consent to enter the religious life and she joined the Sisters of Providence. The Sisters of Providence took care of the poor, sick, the dying and educated children. She was asked to head a group of missionary sisters to establish her order in the United States of America in 1840. This was to serve the pioneers in Indiana. She reached the Saint Mary of the Woods and stayed in a tiny log chapel with five other sisters. Less than a year after, she started Saint Mary of the Woods College, the first women’s Liberal Arts college in the United States which is still active today. She founded many other schools, pharmacies, and orphanages in Indiana. In 1998 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and in 2006 canonised by Pope Benedict XVI.
 |
| Image: Saint Théodore Guérin |
