A Belief In Providence: A Life of Saint Theodora Guerin by Julie Young is another in the American canon of immigrant stories. Already in her early forties and not in the best health, Sister Theodore Guerin and a group of fellow Sisters left their French convent in 1840 for the arduous journey across the sea and through America to the wilderness of western Indiana to start a convent. They expected difficulties in their travels and setting up their convent with an emphasis on providing education, health care, and spiritual care in the new world. Their challenges, however, exceeded anything they could have imagined. Sister Theodore Guerin and her other sisters and postulants, however, believed in the Providence of God and that somehow things would work out. They persevered and have had a significant impact on Indiana and Hoosiers.
This book, part of the Indiana Historical Society Press young adult biography series, covers the spiritual and physical life of Saint Theodora Guerin. It also explains the canonization process for Catholic saints. It has many more pictures than I expected of a biography of someone in that time period and several very instructive maps. The short historical segments provide interesting commentary on why things happened as they did. My greatest interest in immigration stories is always why the person immigrated and whether or not they were able to achieve their original goals. Young deals ably with these issues. She also thoroughly describes the steps Saint Theodora Guerin took to reach her goals. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the immigrant experience and/or living a deeply religious life. Learning about the life of Saint Theodora Guerin offers messages of encouragement to enlighten every life.
Meet the author on Sunday, April 19 from 1-3 at Bookmamas. She is also the author of Idiots’ Guide to Catholicism. Other authors at Bookmamas that day include Wilma Linhart (Dancing On The Dumpster — a memoir of her youth in an Amish Community and her time after leaving the Amish), Jimmy Watson (Big Jesus: A Pastor’s Struggle with Christology) and Dwight Ritter (Growin’ Up White — a novelized memoir of his caucasian youth in an Indianapolis African-American neighborhood).
