“Love the children first, and then teach them.”
Welcome to "North American Sanctity," a series on holy men and women, boys and girls, saints and those on the road to sainthood, from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some will be familiar, others less so; but all are inspiring!
By Kimberly Bruce
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin (feast day: Oct. 3) was an immigrant to the United States who founded schools, orphanages, and a convent in Indiana. But this great and pious nun also suffered betrayals, misunderstandings, and great hardships — even imprisonment and excommunication for a time!
She was “a woman of uncommon valor, one of those religious athletes whose life and teachings effect a spiritual fecundity that secures vast conquests to Christ and His holy Church,” said Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1904.
Prayerful soul
Mother knew adversity from a young age. She was born Anne Therese Guerin on Oct. 2, 1798, in Etables, France. Her two brothers died in house fires. Her father, a French Naval Officer under Napoleon, was robbed of all his savings and murdered on his way home after three years away in the Navy.
A prayerful soul, Anne spent her early years praying to God along the rocky seashore near her home. She made her First Holy Communion early, at the age of 10, and told her parish priest that she would one day become a nun.
Anne had to put her dreams of entering a convent on hold, though, after her father’s death because her mother was so overcome with grief that she was no longer able to take care of her family. At 15 years old, she assumed the caretaking of her sister, mother, and household.
At age 20, Anne begged her mother to let her join the Sisters of Providence at Ruillé sur-Loir. Her mother refused, and nearly five years passed. Said Sr. Mary Cecilia Bailly, who authored St. Mother Theodore’s first biography:
The misfortune of losing her father drew forth all the energies of Anne Therese. She was now the help and companion of her mother; very likely this reverse of fortune formed that decision and strength of character which distinguished her in after life, and by which she could so well surmount the obstacles that sometimes opposed her in the discharge of her duties.
Religious life
Finally, Anne’s mother relented. Two months before her 25th birthday, she entered the Sisters of Providence and became Sr. Theodore, taking the name of the fourth-century martyr.
The Sisters of Providence were teachers and also took care of the sick and poor. Not long after entering, Sr. Theodore became quite ill herself, leading to life-long health issues.
At one point, on the verge of dying, Sr. Theodore was given a remedy which saved her but ended up damaging her digestive system. She was never again able to eat anything but an exceedingly light, bland diet. Many wondered how she could survive on so little food.
Six months into her novitiate, Sr. Theodore was sent to teach the extremely poor children in the city of Rennes. Her fellow religious sisters had been unsuccessful teaching there as the children were so unruly.
At first, Sr. Theodore was assailed with all the children’s usual games of disobedience, but she eventually won them over and was able to teach them, thanks to her guiding philosophy: “Love the children first, and then teach them.” Her success brought hope to the poor of that city.
A false accusation was brought against Sr. Theodore by the General Superior of her order, at one point, resulting in her removal from her position in Rennes. She was thereupon sent to a remote country ministry in Soulaines to teach and tend the sick.
Knowing little about treating sicknesses, Sister educated herself about medicine and was soon treating patients as well as the doctors. She was also awarded a medal of excellence in 1839 for teaching by the Academy of Angers in France.
Mission to America
That same year, a message came from across the Atlantic. The new Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, asked if the sisters could start a mission to educate the pioneer children in his diocese. Though worried about her health stamina, Sr. Theodore eventually volunteered and was made Superior over the mission.
After an arduous trip across the ocean, now-Mother Theodore arrived in Indiana with five of her sisters, and said, “What was our astonishment to find ourselves still in the midst of the forest, no village, not even a house in sight.” Nevertheless, they knelt before the Blessed Sacrament and thanked God for a safe journey.
Difficult times ensued as the French sisters did not know the language and suffered from lack of food and money. The attic room they shared in the home of a farmer and his family did not keep out the elements and was freezing cold.
Within a year, though, Mother had established an academy for girls called Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (still in existence, today, as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College).
Trials came again for Mother Theodore. Women, particularly women religious, were not taken seriously. The nuns suffered also from anti-Catholic prejudice, and they lost an entire harvest to fire.
Mother persevered, however, saying, “In all and everywhere may the will of God be done.”
Continually devoted to prayer, she exclaimed, “What strength the soul draws from prayer! In the midst of a storm, how sweet is the calm it finds in the heart of Jesus. But what comfort is there for those who do not pray?”
Power of prayer
Saint Faustina knew well the power of prayer to quell storms, both internal and external. She records in her Diary:
Then I heard the words, Do not fear; I am with you. When I left the altar, an extraordinary peace and power filled my soul, and the storm that was raging broke against my soul as against a rock; and the foam of the storm fell on those who had raised it. Oh, how good is the Lord, who will reward each one according to his deed! Let every soul beg for the help of actual grace, as sometimes ordinary grace is not enough (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1150.)
A storm of conflict arose between Mother Theodore and her bishop regarding the direction and workings of her community. He made decisions without her consent and was assuming control. Even though Mother Theodore always treated him with respect, he imprisoned her in a room for a day and ended up excommunicating her. The bishop eventually resigned, and Mother was reinstated as soon as his successor was installed.
Mother went on to open two orphanages, free pharmacies, and schools throughout Indiana and Eastern Illinois.
She died on May 14, 1856, at age 57, and was buried at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Beatified in 1998 by Pope St. John Paul II, she was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is open daily for visitors, and is also a retreat and pilgrimage center.
May we not fear reaching out to those in great poverty like Mother did. Her impact in France, the United States, and in the Universal Church, even amidst her sufferings and sickness, was always informed by her love for Christ and her neighbor.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, pray for us!
Next in the series: Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Oct. 5.
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