The Sisters of Providence of Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods are honoring their foundress, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, on the 20th anniversary of her being named a saint. Members of the congregation assert that Guerin’s teachings are not merely historical but hold significant relevance for people today.
Sister Paula Damiano, who joined the order 59 years ago, characterized Guerin as “such an example of strength and courage in uncertain times.” Damiano noted that Guerin lived during the period directly following the Napoleonic Wars, from 1803 to 1815, which left societal conditions in chaos.
Guerin faced profound personal tragedy early in life. Before reaching age 15, her father, who had served under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, died. She then lost both of her brothers in separate house fire incidents. These losses left her mother deeply distraught, prompting Guerin to become the caretaker for her grieving mother and younger sister. Sister Damiano recounted Guerin’s mindset during these challenging years: “All I can do is trust in God.” Damiano suggests this serves as an example for everyone.
Despite her mother’s initial opposition due to the family’s recent losses, Guerin eventually persuaded her to allow her to join the Sisters of Providence at Ruillé sur-Loir, in northwestern France, after five years. She first trained as a teacher and later studied medicine to become a nurse, serving the poor in a remote part of France. In 1840, Guerin was among six women who answered a call from the bishop in Vincennes, Indiana, to teach children of pioneers in the area.
Upon their arrival in Indiana, the women endured immense hardships, including a stormy ocean journey, widespread illness, and the theft of much of the funds intended to establish their community. After their initial establishment, arsonists destroyed their work. Yet, despite these adversities, Guerin and her team successfully founded their convent, Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods College for women, at least 10 parish schools in Indiana and Illinois, and two orphanages. Sister Jan Craven expressed the congregation’s dedication to her story, stating, “We love to tell her story.”
The Catholic Church follows a long and detailed process to confirm miracles for sainthood. This process typically begins at least five years after a person’s death, with a local bishop initiating an investigation into the individual’s life and any attributed miracles. A local team then investigates alleged miracles, seeking to rule out any natural or scientific explanations. If no such explanation is found, the findings are transferred to a special Vatican group that thoroughly examines both the alleged miracles and the person’s life. Two verified miracles are required for consideration for sainthood, a process that can take decades.
The first verified miracle attributed to Guerin occurred over a century ago. Sister Jan Craven recounted how a Sister of Providence visited Guerin’s grave to pray for a friend suffering from stomach cancer, a condition so severe that she wore a specially adapted habit. While the nun with cancer did not pray for her own healing, she had great confidence and trust in Mother Theodore. The next morning, according to Craven, the nun with cancer reported her skirt falling off, indicating a reduction in her tumors.
Miracles attributed to Guerin are not confined to ancient history. In 2000, Phil McCord, the congregation’s longtime maintenance engineer and the son of a Baptist preacher, began losing his sight. Despite surgeries and medical care, doctors informed McCord that his condition was untreatable, and blindness was inevitable. Sister Damiano shared that McCord, a Baptist, went into the church and prayed, saying he believed Guerin could perform miracles and asking her to intercede for his blindness, expressing his love for the sisters and desire to continue working for them. A week later, McCord was able to read his morning newspaper. Damiano stated that doctors found “no human reason for his eyesight to be restored.” McCord was present at Guerin’s canonization celebration in Rome.
Beyond these widely celebrated miracles, the sisters cherish what they call “backstory” miracles, or the “gate effect.” Sister Craven explained that visitors to the grounds often report feeling a sense of peace, attributing it to the presence of a saint who walked there. Craven encourages high school classes and other visitors to reflect on Guerin’s life, not just her accomplishments, and consider how her experiences – as a math teacher, a student of medicine, someone who lost family to tragedy, and an entrepreneur with a strong sense of justice – resonate with their own lives. Guerin, an immigrant herself, fought for immigrants throughout her life, a cause that Craven noted has much contemporary relevance. Guerin’s journals reflect her deep commitment to social justice, stating, “Yes above all things; justice, justice. If any preferences may be shown, let it be to the poorest or most abandoned.”
Sister Damiano emphasized that Guerin’s unwavering conviction and reliance on “something bigger than yourself” is a profound message for today’s often self-focused society. She advocates for taking Guerin’s spirit, her message of love, mercy, justice, and compassion, out into the world, guided by the principle to “act without distinction of persons.”