saint mother theodore guerin shrine

Dedicated to Indiana's Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, the 8th saint in the United States, this is a spectacularly done shrine--completed in the Fall of 2014--is a beautiful, historic and spiritual place that is a must-see for all who visit the Midwest! The shrine tells the story of how 6 nuns came from France to found a school (now Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College) and built a legacy for women in the US through the life and work of the Sisters of Providence. There are many real artifacts and a prayerful space in its heart with the remains of the saint herself.

The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin just opened and is jam packed with history of the woman, the work she accomplished, and her legacy. This is American culture at its highest level. Imagine six nuns in 1849 arriving from France, a center of refined culture, to a woods about 10 miles west of Terre Haute, Indiana to establish a school. It was the middle of nowhere. This shrine is also a museum, where you can soak up the most excellent visual displays and easily readable signage, especially quotes from Saint Mother Theodore Guerin's writings. See her steerage accommodation on the ship coming from France. See her writing desk with personal items not limited to her pocket watch and pen knife for cutting herbs and medicinal plants in the surrounding woods. You end the tour in a contemplative room housing her remains in a tastefully done wooden casket. Be sure to look up and take in the carved area in the ceiling. This shrine, museum if you will, fairly shouts "class act." It is worth the visit and you'll find yourself interested in other activities outside of the shrine yet inside the Conference Center.. Leave a donation, you'll want to.