Sisters to celebrate Foundation Day

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, are inviting persons of all faith traditions to join them in celebrating their Foundation Day with a special Mass, scheduled for 11 a.m., on Friday, October 22, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, located 10 minutes northwest of downtown Terre Haute.

Masks will be required for those who wish to attend the Mass.

Join the sisters as they recognize their heritage and honor the day Saint Mother Theodore Guerin – foundress of the Sisters of Providence – and her five sister companions first set foot upon the soil at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, on Oct. 22, 1840.

Within one year, Saint Mother Theodore opened The Academy, now known as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Soon afterward, she opened Catholic grade schools in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village and at St. Francisville, Ill. From there, the education ministry grew to schools throughout Indiana and Illinois, and to other cities such as Boston and Los Angeles.

Saint Mother Theodore died May 14, 1856. She was canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church during a ceremony on Oct. 15, 2006, by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

For more information about the event, call 812-535-2952 or email jfrost@spsmw.org.