FD St Théodore Guérin, founder of the Srs of Providence of St Mary of the Woods (1856). She and 5 sisters arrived from France on their mission in America in 1840, responding to a call from the bishop of Vincennes, IN. Their new home was a log cabin in the middle of a forest.
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Apart from the harsh conditions, the Srs faced a greater challenge from their new bishop who regarded the community as his personal possession and sought to control their affairs in every detail. Mother Guérin described it as a “species of slavery.”
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He locked Guérin in his house, would not let her leave until she acceded to his demands, and informed her community that she was no longer the superior and not even a Sr of Providence— he had released her from her vows. He ordered her to leave the diocese “to hide her disgrace.”
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He told the Srs if they yielded he would “love and protect” them but otherwise they would share their Mother’s fate. When they
said they would follow their Mother the bishop said they would all be excommunicated and he might even have them pursued by the law.
At that point came a miraculous reprieve: word from the Vatican that a new bishop had been appointed. The Srs unpacked their bags and eagerly awaited the return of Mother Guérin. The congregation grew and prospered. Mother Guérin was canonized in 2006. #WomenintheChurch
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