St. Mother Théodore Guérin

St. Mother Théodore Guérin was a Franco-American religious leader who supervised the founding of Roman Catholic schools in Indiana. Born in 1798 in Étables, France, she entered the Sisters of Providence community in Ruillé-sur-Loir, France, and took her final vows in 1825. She was appointed superior of the order's school in Rennes and transferred to the school at Soulaines. In 1840, she and five other sisters established the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the American branch of the Sisters of Providence. Within a month, the first novices were accepted into the convent, and in July 1841, the Institute of St. Mary's was opened. The institute became Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, the first Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. Over her 16 years as superior, she oversaw the establishment of the motherhouse and the opening of several schools throughout Indiana. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.