“This land was no longer for me the land of exile; it was the portion of my inheritance, and in it I hope to dwell all the days of my life.” – St. Mother Théodore Guérin
MERRILLVILLE – Catholics in Indiana recently marked the 20th anniversary of the canonization of St. Théodore Guérin, a saint who served their state, with additional relics being given to representatives from each of Indiana's five dioceses, offering the faithful a special connection to her and her story.
On Nov. 9, Sister Evelyn Ovalles, a member of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, arrived at the Diocese of Gary Pastoral Center to present a first-class relic of St. Théodore, to Bishop Robert J. McClory, who accepted on behalf of the diocese.
The relics of saints are scattered across thousands of churches, shrines, monasteries and private collections worldwide, dating back centuries. Relics are generally divided into three classes: first-class (part of a saint's body), second-class (an item, such as a piece of clothing or book, used by a saint) and third-class relics (any object touched to a first- or second-class relic).
St. Théodore Guérin, also known as St. Mother Théodore Guérin, who served in the state of Indiana, was born in 1798. While in France, she served her mother very faithfully, who was in poor health. At the age of 25, she was finally able to fulfill her life ambition and dream of becoming a religious Sister of Divine Providence.
When the bishop of Vincennes, Ind., requested sisters to come to the New World to help with the influx of Catholic immigrants, Saint Mother Theodore was thought to be the only woman who could undertake such a demanding mission. The journey was long and difficult. After traveling for nearly three months, St. Mother Theodore and her five companions arrived only to discover they were in the remote wilderness of Indiana known as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Despite the obstacles, St. Mother Théodore was able to open an academy for girls in less than a year. Once this was done, she continued forward and established schools throughout Indiana and Eastern Illinois. She also opened two orphanages in Vincennes and a free pharmacy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and Vincennes.
Sister Evelyn Ovalles, who served as the director of tribunal and judge for the Diocese of Gary from 2004-2017, emphasized the saint’s fidelity to God and love for the Eucharist, saying she was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. As a Sister of Providence, she noted, there develops a sublimation to the will of God, which the saint embraced.
“When the bishop went to France to ask the Sisters of Providence for volunteers to come to America, she didn't volunteer because she had some medical issues,” said Sister Evelyn. “But the general superior said that if she would not lead the congregation, then they were not going to send anybody, and eventually she accepted.”
The sisters arrived in Saint Mary of the Woods on Oct. 22, 1840, the foundation date of the community.
Sister Evelyn said Sister Théodore was, first and foremost, a teacher, but she was also a child of God. Through her travels across the country, she developed a love of nature. She also was deeply impacted by the practice of slavery she witnessed. After studying her writings, Sister Evelyn said she came to appreciate not only Sister Theodore’s spirituality, but the saint’s sense of humor.
“If you have a chance to read her journals and her story, her humanity shines through as well as her love of God and her love for the children,” she said.
Sister Evelyn explained that a relic is a reminder of the person, just like pictures, but much more personal because it's part of the body. She said developing a relic creates something tangible for the faithful to view.
“I hope the people will get to know her and by knowing Mother Théodore more, they will become strengthened in their own faith,” Sister Evelyn said. “Mother Theodore’s life story is a life of faith and dedication to God and to God's people.”
The day after the relic arrived in the Diocese of Gary, Bishop McClory shared it with members of the Pastoral Center during a celebration of the Mass. The bishop praised Sister Théodore’s willingness to come to the United States when she was asked. Although she had some reservations at first, she agreed.
Bishop McClory reflected on the challenges Sister Théodore faced. When she and other members of her religious order arrived in Indiana, the convent house was not ready and there wasn’t much on the property. They would eventually become settled with a residence and a school.
“These were really strong, vigorous women who came and really decided to fulfill their vocation to serve the needs of others,” he said.
Bishop McClory also noted her love for teaching. He shared that while still in France, serving as a teacher, St. Thodore encountered difficult children who acted out to see if they could make a religious sister cry. Instead of reacting to their outbursts, she often let them tire out and didn’t become despondent. One story the bishop shared mentioned that St. Théodore once pulled out a switch used for punishment and broke it in front of the children. This was an outward expression of her choice to adopt a pattern of positive reinforcement.
“She said, ‘First, love the children, then teach them,’” Bishop McClory said. “That's how she saw that vision of ministry in the service of education. It wasn't going to be the whip that was going to get these children in line, but it was going to be the positive reinforcement.”
The bishop added that she inspired the trend in education called virtue-based education. It is an idea that focuses on building on the good in children, encouraging them to see the goodness that's within them and allow them to aspire further and further.
“Her presence here, particularly in Indiana, was such that in the year 2006, she was canonized, which is a blessing to us now,” he said.
Michael R. Heinlein, pastoral associate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, helped craft first-class relics of St. Théodore Guerin. For almost two years, he consulted with the Sisters of Providence to help facilitate greater devotion to St. Théodore. When she was beatified in 1998, relics were taken from her tomb but never prepared for widespread distribution. That changed only recently, when the Sisters of Providence’s immediate past superior general, Sister Dawn Tomaszewski, recognized the importance.
“She was instrumental in finally seeing to their creation, and it was an honor and blessing that she entrusted me with the task of overseeing this,” Heinlein said. “Archbishop Charles Thompson offered tremendous support and much assistance.”
Heinlein, a native of the Diocese of Gary and an Andrean High School alumnus, shared that the distribution of first-class relics to Indiana’s five dioceses was just the beginning. He estimated several hundred relics were created. Interested dioceses, parishes and other ecclesiastical institutions can submit a request to the Sisters of Providence. A few relics were already distributed internationally, including in France and Taiwan.
“Our Hoosier saint is for Catholics the world over – and that shows in the volume and geographical diversity of prayer requests received by the sisters,” Heinlein said.
Heinlein strongly believes distributing relics will help foster the growing devotion to St. Théodore, who was canonized 20 years ago, as an intercessor and model for Christian living.
“Many admire her fortitude, missionary zeal, reverence for God’s gifts and her love for the poor and for children,” he said. “The faithful have again been attracted to the veneration of relics in recent years. I hope we will see widespread requests for relics of St. Theodora.”
