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St.
Theodore Guerin named diocesan patron
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
It is customary for parishes and dioceses as well as countries to be
placed under the patronage of a saint. Twelve of our 63 parishes have
taken Mary as their patron under various titles such as Sorrowful
Mother, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Lakes, Our Lady of Grace,
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel or simply “St. Mary.” Nine of our parishes have
taken St. Joseph as their patron. In 1846, during the sixth Provincial
Council of Baltimore, the United States was placed under the patronage
of the Immaculate Conception. Our diocese, too, has Mary as its patron:
the Immaculate Conception. And, our cathedral church is the Cathedral of
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
Now, however, we have a Hoosier saint in Theodore Guerin. Although born
in France, she trod our sod, so to speak. For that reason, and because
it is not unusual for a diocese to have more than one patron, last year
I petitioned the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments to have St. Theodore Guerin named secondary
patron of our Local Church. In a communication received from Cardinal
Francis Arinze, head of the congregation, dated Oct. 16, 2006, the
request was granted. St. Theodore Guerin is now a patron of our Local
Church.
The feast day of St. Theodore Guerin is Oct. 3. The prayer to be
inserted in the Common for Virgins reads: “Loving God, in St. Theodore
Guerin, you have given us an example of a woman religious who trusted
deeply in Providence. Through her intercession, inspire us to dedicate
our lives to proclaiming the Gospel through works of love, mercy and
justice. We ask this …”
Having now been named secondary patron of our Local Church, it is proper
for priests to include the name of St. Theodore in the third Eucharistic
Prayer.
Most, no doubt, are familiar with the story of St. Theodore Guerin since
a good deal of publicity accompanied her canonization by Pope Benedict
XVI on Oct. 15, 2006. Born Anne-Therese in 1798, she was one of four
children, only two of whom survived until adulthood. Her father was
murdered by bandits when she was 15. At the age of 25, she entered the
Sisters of Providence Novitiate in Ruille-sur-Loir in France, where she
was given the name Sister St. Theodore. “Theodore” means “gift of God.”
While in the novitiate, she became ill, perhaps with smallpox. Whatever
the problem, the cure damaged her digestive system, with the result that
for the rest of her life she could only tolerate soft foods and liquids
— not exactly a prime candidate for wilderness living.
The first diocese in Indiana was Vincennes, established in 1834. It
comprised the entire state of Indiana and the eastern third of Illinois.
It was the second bishop of Vincennes, desirous of bringing formal
education to his vast diocese, who sought sisters from France to
establish schools. Although she did not volunteer, Sister St. Theodore
was chosen to lead a small community of six to the New World, where she
would establish a separate religious congregation: the Sisters of
Providence of Terre Haute, Ind.
It took 26 days to make the crossing from France. It would appear the
crossing included a hurricane. The sisters, in steerage, were deathly
ill during most of the passage. But, eventually, they reached New York
intact and then made their way by train, boat and wagon to the
wilderness area west of Terre Haute that became St. Mary-of-the-Woods.
Mother Theodore was 42. She lived less than 16 years in this country,
but during that time she acquired U.S. citizenship and saw her religious
congregation prosper. At the time of her death, there were 60 members.
Yet, she is not a saint simply because she founded a religious
congregation.
According to her biographer, Penny Blaker Mitchell, the circular letter
notifying the members of the community of the death of Mother Theodore
read in part: “When we consider her many qualifications — her spacious
mind, her admirable character and the precious qualities of her heart,
we are embarrassed to know which we should admire the most. There was
but one feeling, one impression with regard to Mother Theodore. She
commanded universal admiration and love; all those who saw her, whether
Catholics or Protestants, seculars or persons in religion, rich or poor,
all were struck with enthusiastic admiration at her superior merit … she
possessed to an imminent degree all the virtues of Christian perfection,
though charity did seem to transcend them all: it was her favorite
virtue … her instructions and recommendations breathed charity,
unbounded charity, a charity involving all other virtues. She blended
the tenderness of a mother with the firmness of a superior so perfectly
that her government, as you well know, was the most happy and effectual
… she has left us a legacy far more precious and valuable than can be
bequeathed by the most opulent; that is the example of her virtues,
which I hope shall ever dwell in our remembrance, to admonish us if
necessary, but always to invite and urge us to like perfection …”
Her biographer goes on to opine what St. Theodore Guerin might say to
people of today. She writes: “She would say to pray and to love one
another. She would advise young and old alike to seek strength and
sustenance in the Eucharist and to look to Mary, mother of Jesus, as a
model of obedience, devotion and acceptance. She would repeat her advice
that, ‘unless nourished, faith like love becomes extinguished.’ She
would say, her dark eyes sparkling with love and grace, ‘put yourself
gently into the hands of Providence … love all in God and for God, and
all will be well.’”
I pray to St. Theodore Guerin daily that through her intercession God
will send our Local Church priests in sufficient numbers to meet the
staffing requirements of our parishes. I repeat what I have said several
times, that I see the hand of St. Theodore Guerin in the fact that we
have 20 seminarians, a significant increase over past years.
Theodore Guerin died on May 14, 1856. The story of her heroic life was
told and retold. She had great faith and trust in God, and performed
many works of love, mercy and justice among God’s people.
In 1908, a Providence sister, Sister Mary Theodosia Mug, a native of
Attica, was cured of cancer after praying at the tomb of Mother
Theodore. The following year, Bishop Francis Silas Chatard of
Indianapolis formally introduced the cause of Mother Theodore’s
canonization as a saint. In 1992, Mother Theodore was given the title
“Venerable” after a thorough study of her life and virtues was approved
by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. On Oct. 25, 1998,
Mother Theodore as given the title “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II. And
in 2005, the second miracle required for canonization, the healing of
Philip McCord, a native of Anderson, was approved in Rome by medical
doctors, a panel of theologians and a group of cardinals from the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints. At a consistory held in Rome in
July of 2006, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Theodore Guerin would be
canonized on Oct. 15, 2006.
I urge you to join me in seeking the intercession of our Hoosier saint.
Now a patron of our Local Church, we should have confidence she will
take special interest in us and our needs. |
