Mother Théodore Guérin - formally Anne-Thérèse Guérin - was born on October 2, 1798 in Etables, France. Her devotion to God and the Roman Catholic Church manifested itself as a child. At the age of 10, she received the sacrament of Communion for the first time and on that occasion she confided to her parish priest the desire to become a nun. It was her mother, Isabelle Guérin, who instructed her and brought her closer to religious values, basing her lessons on Holy Scriptures and thus nourishing more and more Théodore's love for God.
Anne-Thérèse's father, Laurent, who enlisted in Napoleon's navy, had been away from his family for years and was murdered by bandits on his way home. At that time, Anne-Thérèse was only 15 years old. The loss of Isabelle's husband threatened to overwhelm her, and for many years Anne-Thérèse took care of her mother and younger sister, the house and the garden.
During these years of hardship and suffering, and throughout her whole life, Théodore's faith in God did not give in nor hesitate. In the depths of her soul, she was aware that God was close to her and that He would always be close to her as a faithful companion. Anne-Thérèse was almost 25 years old when she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence, taking the name Sister Théodore, and was entrusted with leading a small mission of sisters to the United States of America with the aim of founding a motherhouse, establishing schools and bringing God's love to the pioneers of the Vincennes Diocese in Indiana.
Humble and, in her opinion, unworthy of such a task, Mother Théodore did not imagine that she would be able to accomplish it. Her health was unstable and she had fallen seriously ill during her novitiate in the Sisters of Providence. The treatments had cured the disease, but irreparably damaged her digestive system and for the rest of her life she could only eat light, tasteless foods and liquids.
Her weak physical condition made her hesitant about accepting her mission. However, after hours of prayer and long consultations with her superiors, she obeyed with the knowledge that no one else would venture into those unexplored places to bring God's love to them. Equipped with a little more fervent desire to serve God, Mother Théodore and five sisters of the Sisters of Providence reached their mission site in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana in the evening of October 22, 1840. Immediately they went along the narrow, muddy path that led to the small wooden building that served as a chapel. There, they gathered in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to thank God for the journey that had ended and to ask the Lord to bless the new mission. On this hill, full of forests and cliffs, Sister Théodore built the motherhouse and a school, leaving an enormous legacy of love, mercy and justice that have not yet been exhausted. In the following years of pain and peace, Mother Théodore relied on Divine Providence, her ingenuity and faith to find counsel and guidance.
In the fall of 1840, the mission of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods consisted solely of a small wooden building, used as a chapel and home for the parish priest, and a small farm where Mother Théodore, the sisters who came with her from France and numerous postulants lived. During the first winter, the farm was beaten by icy winds from the north. The sisters were often sick and hungry, but they still managed to transform a porch into a chapel and feel the comfort of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in their humble motherhouse.
During her early years in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Mother Théodore had to overcome numerous difficult trials: prejudices against Catholics, but especially against Catholic religious, betrayals, misunderstandings, the separation of the Indiana Congregation from that of Ruillé, a devastating fire that destroyed the entire harvest of a season, leaving the sisters in a state of poverty, and numerous diseases, even fatal ones. Despite everything, Mother Théodore persevered in her mission with the only desire "to do the will of the Lord, everywhere and with everyone."
Less than a year after her arrival in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Mother Théodore inaugurated the first Academy of the Congregation and in 1842, she founded schools in Jasper, Indiana, and in St. Francisville, Illinois. By the time of her death on May 14, 1856, Mother Théodore had founded schools throughout Indiana, while the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence had become strong, vital and respected. As always, Mother Théodore attributed to the growth and success of the Sisters of Providence to God and to Mary, Mother of Jesus, to whom she dedicated the ministry of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Mother Théodore's love is one of her principal qualities. She loved God, the people of God, the Sisters of Providence, the Roman Catholic Church and the people she served. She did not exclude anyone from her ministry or prayers because she dedicated her life to making God known and teaching people to lead a better life. Mother Théodore knew that she could not do any of this alone, but that nothing is impossible for God. She accepted the challenges, sufferings and injustices as a part of her life and even in persecution, Mother Théodore remained loyal and faithful to God. Mother Théodore was beatified by St. John Paul II on October 25, 1998 in Rome. Following another miracle, she was proclaimed a saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2006 in the same St. Peter's Square. Her liturgical feast is on May 14th.