Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are a religious congregation of Catholic women founded by Theodore Guerin in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Guerin and her five companion sisters departed from the Sisters of Providence of Ruille-sur-Loir, France, at the invitation of the Bishop of Vincennes to establish a religious community in the United States. In 1843 the Indiana congregation became independent of the Ruille institute, and its rules were approved by the Holy See in 1887. More than 5,200 women have entered the congregation since 1840; as of 2014 nearly 350 sisters belonged to it, most living and ministering from the motherhouse in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, with others in 17 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Asia. Guerin was canonized on October 15, 2006.