Fall in love with these Mother Theodore quotes

White Violet Center is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a friend of the Sisters of Providence or Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College who doesn’t know about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Even the greenest of freshmen students at SMWC quickly learn about our foundress, as she is such a vital part of our legacy.

When my mother started attending the Woods, she was a rarity in that she had no clue about Mother Theodore. So she purchased a copy of her journals and letters, and we learned about her together. I instantly loved the steadfast woman who reached out to me from the pages, for she spoke of her love of nature and mankind with such earnestness. As we transition into the first days of autumn, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite nature related quotes from Mother Theodore’s journals.

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840.

1. To me the whole world presents no more admirable scene than the setting sun at the tropics. It pours forth streams of pure and soft light, coloring the sky and the waves with a thousand tints, ravishing in beauty.

2. The weather was magnificent. It seemed that heaven united with earth to add beauty to the feast. Never had I seen our solitude so charming.

3. The beauty of the forests of Indiana in the rich and lovely month of May surpasses all description.

4. If you could have trees planted around the edge of your lot, I think it would be well.

5. In each excursion we discover something marvelous, beautiful, and useful in the magnificent forests of Indiana.

6. Let us hope that the few seeds sown may not remain unproductive of fruit.

7. You may not live to see it, but you will have sown the seed, and your Sisters will come to reap what will have been sown.

And there you have it. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin: caring about the environment since before it was cool. I hope these quotes inspire you to enjoy the world around us and maybe even take action to help it!

Happy fall, everyone!