Catholic saint biography
St. Theodore Guérin
- Lived:
- 1798–1856 — France; United States
An approved Catholic liturgical calendar with an explicit jurisdiction or community scope has not yet been verified for this entry. The institutional biography lists a remembrance, but this is not presented as a universal feast.
Read the sources for this biography
Biography
Born Anne-Thérèse Guérin in France, Theodore delayed religious life while caring for her widowed mother and younger sister. She eventually entered the Sisters of Providence. Despite lasting health problems, she accepted responsibility for a mission to Indiana and traveled with five sisters to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840.
The sisters began in a small rural settlement with few resources, experiencing hunger, illness and prejudice. Theodore established a motherhouse and academy and helped open further schools in Indiana and Illinois. Her correspondence records the difficulties of building this community and the trust in divine providence that sustained her educational work. Benedict XVI canonized Theodore Guérin in 2006.
From the Saint Discovery blog
Keep exploring your faith
Practical guides to prayer, the saints, and living the Catholic faith.
Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints? Intercession Explained
Why do Catholics pray to saints? Learn how intercession differs from worship, how it relates to Jesus, and a simple way to ask a saint to pray for you.
A next step with your saintRead the article Living the seasonsHow to Celebrate Your Patron Saint's Feast Day at Home
Celebrate your patron saint's feast day with prayer, a short biography, and an act of kindness. A practical plan for families, sponsors, and individuals.
A next step with your saintRead the articleFrom reading to reflection
What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. Theodore Guérin, take a moment to consider:
- Which event or decision in this life stood out to you?
- What virtue would you like to understand or practice more deeply?
- What small action could you take today in response?
These are reflection prompts from Saint Discovery, not quotations from the saint.
Sources and further reading
Biography source comparison recorded on . This is an AI-assisted comparison, not independent human or ecclesiastical approval.
What the recorded review covers
Individual Catholic institutional source review; original concise factual summary. AI-assisted source reading compared the individual name, alternate forms, life dates, locations and vocation against all 685 archived and canonical baseline identities. Name normalization and institutional identity-key checks are supplemented by review of translated names; no qualified human review is claimed.
A source list helps you check an account; it does not establish that every claim is certain. Follow the biography’s qualifications about historical evidence, traditions and feast calendars.
Suggest a correction to this biography
How we research these pages and handle corrections · Directory corrections log