Celebrating 20 years of Sainthood!
On Sunday, October 15, 2006, Indiana got its first saint when Pope Benedict XVI canonized Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.
And on Sunday, October 11, 2026, the Sisters of Providence and the Providence Community will celebrate her canonization.
The Sisters of Providence invite people of all faith traditions to join them from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., to celebrate Indiana’s only saint and eighth saint from the United States.
The celebration will begin with a pilgrimage through the sacred grounds of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, where Mother Theodore lived her mission and where generations of Sisters of Providence have continued her legacy of love and service. The pilgrimage will begin at 9:30 a.m.
At 11 a.m., those attending are welcomed to attend a special Eucharistic Liturgy in Saint Mother Theodore’s honor in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. In addition, a celebratory picnic luncheon has been scheduled for noon.
Join the Sisters of Providence and others and prayerfully enter into the places and stories that shaped Mother Theodore’s life. Most spaces are accessible and there will be limited transportation to shuttle people who may need extra assistance. There is no cost to attend, but registration is needed in order to know how many people will be attending.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was born October 2, 1798 in France. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé sur-Loir, France in 1823. In 1840, the bishop of Vincennes asked the Congregation to send sisters to America to help with a surge of Catholic immigrants. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin led the mission with five sister companions and established the Sisters of Providence on October 22, 1840, the Congregation’s Foundation Day.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s Feast Day is celebrated on October 3.
Mother Theodore died on May 14, 1856. In 1909, the cause for her beatification and canonization began and in 1998, Pope John Paul II declared her Venerable. Pope John Paul II beatified her after the verification of the first miracle, the healing of Sister Mary Theodosia Mug in 1908. The second verification of a miracle took place in 2001, which was the healing of Phil McCord’s deteriorating eyesight, leading to the canonization in 2006.
For more information regarding the October 11 celebration, click here, or call 812-535-2952 or email msolis-deal@spsmw.org.
