The wisdom of Saint Mother Theodore: to the sisters in Madison

Letter from Saint Mother Theodore to the sisters in Madison, Ind.

March 21, 1849

“My very dear and beloved Daughters:

“Just this moment I hear that the cholera has made its entrance into your dear Madison. I cannot tell you how anxious I am about you. I beseech you to be sure to write to me at least three times a week, even if only a few lines, to let me know how you are, whether the disease spreads or whether it has disappeared, — in a word, everything. You understand that the least details are of interest in such moments of danger. I have confidence, however, that God will not permit any of you to be attacked by the epidemic. Be cheerful, kind to one another. Have nothing on your conscience that could trouble you. Do not fast. Let your food be wholesome and well prepared. Keep your house, the yard, and also your persons clean. Change your linen often, and have your children clean also, if they are still with you. Finally, my dear daughters, pray. Prepare yourselves, or rather, keep yourselves ready to answer the summons of your Divine Spouse if He calls you to Himself; but, let me repeat it, I hope He will not. At New Orleans the contagion attacked only those who were predisposed by an enfeebled constitution or by excesses.”
(“Journals and Letters,” p. 280)

To have a prayer request placed in the Book of Petitions at the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and interim director of Programming and Hospitality, at 812-535-2925 or email Sister Jan at JCraven@spsmw.org.