FOR STARTERS columns
ECO JUSTICE MARY RILEY
The saint and the legacy she left
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has always been associated with a lot of amazing women . When I learned that this edition of Terre Haute Living was focusing on women in business , it immediately made me think about the woman who started it all here at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods — Saint Mother Theodore Guerin . She was the G . O . A . T . I am not referring to the adorable barnyard animals at a petting zoo . For those of you who are unaware of this term that all the kids have been using for a while , this simply means “ the greatest of all time .”
It occurred to me that Mother Theodore was likely one of the original women in business in the Wabash Valley . She arrived here in 1840 and immediately became a force to be reckoned with . Without her there would be no Sisters of Providence , White Violet Center for Eco-Justice or Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College . She was also instrumental in the creation of many schools across the state as well as orphanages and pharmacies . She accomplished all of this despite having so many disadvantages . She was an immigrant . She didn ’ t even speak English when she arrived in Indiana . She was also Catholic , which was not necessarily a positive thing at the time . And of course , she was a woman . Despite this she never let any of these reasons distract her from her mission , even though she was keenly aware of all of the challenges . In one of her journals she wrote , “ A woman in this country is never seen transacting the least business , religious no more than others . Eyes are opened wide at Terre Haute and everywhere when I appear to pay bills or to make purchases . Everyone is astonished .”
Mother Theodore kept many journals and was an avid letter writer . This makes it easy to get to know her , even though she died in 1856 . When I read the book with her writings , “ Journals and Letters ,” I discovered that she was not what I ever would have imagined a saint to be . Mother Theodore actually had a fantastic sense of humor , a bit of a temper and was as human as the rest of us . She had a lot on her plate at the time like so many of
us do in our fast-paced world . She wrote , “ To pray for you is a necessity for me , but I am so occupied with what is called business that my prayers are very poor , very miserable .”
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is just one of the ministries of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods . As much as Mother Theodore revered nature , having a ministry devoted to the Earth and eco-justice is very fitting . The name was chosen because the white violet was Mother Theodore ’ s favorite flower . In an article printed in a newsletter from 1995 , Sister Ann Sullivan , SP , the first director of the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice , said that Mother Theodore thought the white violet represented what she wanted the Sisters of Providence and students at the Academy ( now Saint Maryof-the-Woods College ) to be : strong and enduring ; rooted where they are planted ; women whose goodness and beauty radiate beyond Saint Mary-of the-Woods .”
Since it opened in 1996 , the White Violet Center has been led by women . The current staff at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is comprised of seven remarkable women and one amazing man . These women are all smart , creative and passionate . They tend to the animals , grow food , run our Farm Store , lead tours , teach interns , present programs and so much more . They do everything . And just like the white violet they are all strong and enduring , as Mother Theodore had hoped .
As we celebrate women in business , I ’ ll leave you with one of my favorite musings from Mother Theodore ( aka the G . O . A . T ) and what she thought about women and their place in the world . “ Woman in this country is only yet one-fourth of the family . I hope that , through the influence of religion and education , she will eventually become at least one half — the “ better half .”
Mary Riley is the marketing manager for several ministries of the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods . They include the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice , tours and volunteers .
January / February 2022 • Terre Haute Living 9