Saint Theodora Guerin

Abstract

Saint Theodora came to Indiana in 1840. She overcame religious, gender, and cultural prejudice and established St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the oldest Catholic women's liberal arts college in the United States. Eventually she opened 10 schools in the state. She worked to educate the young and care for the poor and sick. October 15, 2006 she was declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI becoming the first resident of Indiana to receive the title. The inscription on her monument at the school reads: "I sleep, but my heart watches over this house which I have built." Sisters of Providence today continue her legacy.

Saint Theodora Guerin is wearing a nun's habit and holding a cross and a rosary.