Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

Why pilgrims come

Visit the resting place and legacy of St. Mother Theodore Guerin

The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods preserves the final resting place of Indiana’s canonized foundress. The quiet shrine belongs to the motherhouse landscape of the Sisters of Providence, where her mission can be read through prayer, education, community life, and the institutions that grew from a difficult frontier beginning.

Born Anne-Thérèse Guérin in France in 1798, she entered the Sisters of Providence and came to Indiana in 1840 with five companions. The small group founded schools, cared for the sick, and established the community that became the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Severe travel, poverty, anti-Catholic pressure, illness, and conflicts over governance marked the work, yet she insisted on trust in Providence joined to practical courage.

Her remains have been transferred as the community and her cause developed; the official shrine now gathers them in a prayerful setting with artifacts and interpretive material. She was canonized in 2006. The surrounding grounds, Church of the Immaculate Conception, and community heritage make this more than a single-room stop.

Pilgrims should allow time for the motherhouse setting. Pray at the tomb, visit the church, and learn how women religious built educational and charitable networks across the region. The official Sisters of Providence site publishes visitor information and should be checked for current hours, tours, liturgy, and accessibility.

Pray at Indiana’s saintly foundress, then walk the motherhouse landscape that turns trust in Providence into schools, health care, and durable community.