Anne-Thérèse Guérin, known as St. Theodora, was born on October 2, 1978 in Estables, France. St. Theodora exuded piousness at a young age. Even as a child, she loved prayers. She already knew that her vocation was to become a nun. However, life circumstances did not allow her to pursue her path to becoming a nun immediately. The loss of her two siblings, and then later on her father, took a toll on her mother. St. Theodora had to take care of her mother and her remaining sisters. She had take on the responsibility of managing their household. When she turned 25, she finally received her mother’s consent to leave home and pursue her religious path. She joined the Sisters of Providence who took care of the poor, sick, and the dying. They also served God through educating children.
In 1840, St. Theodora was tasked to lead a group of missionary sisters in the United States of America to establish her order there. She pushed through with her journey despite her fragile health and crossed the Atlantic until she reached St. Mary of the Woods. When they arrived, St. Mary of the Woods was only a tiny log chapel. But St. Theodora and her band of missionary sisters persevered through extreme hardships while serving in the mission. In less than a year after they arrived, St. Theodora was able to open the first Catholic women’s Liberal Arts college in the United States. St. Mary of the Woods College is still active until today. She died on May 14, 1856 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998. In 2006, she was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI.
