Catholics in Indiana mark 20th anniversary of St. Theodore Guérin canonization

The Sisters of Providence celebrated the 20th anniversary of the canonization of St. Theodore Guérin on Oct. 11 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. The anniversary included a pilgrimage, a picnic, and a special Eucharistic liturgy.

During the liturgy, representatives from each of Indiana's five dioceses received first-class relics of the saint. Recipients included Msgr. Fred Easton for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Mary Gen Blittschau for the Diocese of Evansville.

St. Theodore Guérin was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Oct. 15, 2006. Born in Brittany, France, in 1798, she joined the Sisters of Providence in 1823. She arrived in Terre Haute in 1840 to serve on the Indiana frontier, where she established nearly a dozen schools and two orphanages. The school founded by her community remains active today as St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.