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Mother Theodore and the National Liturgical Calendar: We Need Your Input

This past fall, the Congregation was contacted by a reporter for Our Sunday Visitor and a devotee of Saint Mother Theodore. The reporter sought and received permission from Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis to work to have Mother Theodore’s Feast Day placed on the U.S. national liturgical calendar.

For Saint Mother Theodore’s name and feast day to be placed on the national liturgical calendar, there needs to be proof that she has a cultus, a following. When someone is proclaimed a saint, public devotion to the saint, called a cultus, is authorized for Catholics worldwide. In short, we need to show that Saint Mother Theodore is more than just a regional saint.

We believe you can help identify all the places where we know that some visible, tangible devotion to Mother Theodore is happening. Here are some examples:

  • Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Parish is a new parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago, combining St. Cyprian and St. Celestine, that is named for our foundress,
  • St. Joseph Church in Jasper dedicated a chapel in their parish center and named it for Saint Mother Theodore; likewise, there is a chapel in the Fort Wayne Cathedral that bears her name,
  • St. Roch Church in Indianapolis and St. Mary’s Church in Ireland, Indiana, have stained glass windows with her image,
  • Statues of Saint Mother Theodore have been installed in Washington, D.C. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; in Des Plaines, Illinois, at All Saints Cemetery; in Mattoon, Illinois, at Immaculate Conception Church; in Noblesville, Indiana at Guerin Catholic High School; in Ruillé, France at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Providence and who knows where else,
  • What religious organizations or groups, like the Knights of Columbus, use her name, and
  • What schools (especially where we “used” to teach) hang her picture prominently in their school and/or use the slogan, “Love the children first, then teach them.)?

Please let us know what you know by sending that information via email to ma@spsmw.org or mail it to Mission Advancement, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.  Thanks for your help and your detective work!

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Sisters of Providence

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, are a congregation of Roman Catholic women religious (sisters) who minister throughout the United States and Taiwan. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence in 1840. The congregation has a mission of being God's Providence in the world by committing to performing works of love, mercy and justice in service among God's people.

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3 Comments

  1. Avatar Mary Schreiber on February 1, 2025 at 5:02 pm

    I tried to send a comment about my interaction with Mother Theodore in Ft. Wayne, IN, but I don’t think it went through to you.

    I was principal at Benoit Academy named after Fr. Benoit who invited Mother Theodore to come and establish a school for girls in Ft. Wayne, IN since one was already established for boys.
    I have statues and pictures of Mother Theodore since I have a personal devotion to Mother.

  2. Avatar Gwenn Goebel on February 2, 2025 at 4:19 pm

    St. Charles School in Peru, Indiana has a portrait of Saint Mother Theodore in the hall leading to the cafeteria.
    Our Lady of the Greenwood in Greenwood, Indiana has a statue of Saint Mother Theodore in the school library.

  3. Avatar Dorothy Rasche on February 5, 2025 at 8:42 am

    St. Joseph University Parish church has a portrait of Mother Theodore as you enter the main door. Look to the right, look up high on the wall.

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