This Sunday, Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin will be canonized at St. Peter’s – here’s the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Mother Guerin Central page.

Anne-Thérèse was nearly 25 years old when she entered the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé-sur-Loir, France, a young community of women religious who served as teachers and cared for the
sick poor.

While teaching and caring for the sick in France, Mother Theodore, then known as Sister St. Theodore, was asked to lead a small missionary band of Sisters of Providence to the United States of America to establish a motherhouse and novitiate, to open schools and to share the love of God with pioneers in the Diocese of Vincennes in the state of Indiana.

Humble and prone to feelings of unworthiness, Mother Theodore could not imagine that she was suitable for such a mission. In addition, her health was fragile, and she was able to consume only
soft, bland foods and liquids. Her physical condition added to her doubts about accepting the mission to the United States. Nevertheless, after hours of prayer and lengthy consultations with her superiors, she accepted the mission.

Equipped with little more than a steadfast desire to serve God, Mother Theodore and her five companion sisters arrived at the site of their mission at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., the evening of Oct. 22, 1840, and immediately hastened along a muddy, narrow path to the tiny log cabin that served as the chapel and as the dwelling place for a priest.

There they knelt in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to thank God for their safe journey and to ask for God’s blessings for the new mission.

Here, on this hilly, ravine-cut, densely forested land, Mother Theodore would establish a motherhouse, a school and a legacy of love, mercy and justice that continues to this day.

Glad to see USAToday taking note of the canonization.

Although…

Her course from obscurity to sainthood makes for a compelling tale — part The Sound of Music and part Dances With Wolves, with a dash of The Sixth Sense thrown in.

Whatever.

Naturally enough, the Indianapolis Star is providing good coverage:

2 students who will be serving the Mass:

A profile of Mother Guerin

The second miracle

The Criterion, the Archdiocesan newspaper, is running a blog – Sean Gallagher, who was one of the earliest Catholic bloggers, but who hung up his hat once he went to work for the paper, will be providing the coverage. The pilgrimage group from the Archdiocese is in Siena today, and will travel to Rome this evening.

Three others will be canonized on Sunday, as well.

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