A special place in history: Freshmen at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College have ties to St. Theodora Guérin

Cousins Ashley Vermillion, left, and Jena Thralls stand by a historical marker on the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The rock memorializes the moment in 1840 when St. Theodora Guérin ended a three-month journey from France and arrived in the Indiana wilderness where she was welcomed and given shelter by the ancestors of Ashley and Jena, who are both freshmen at the college. (Submitted photo by Lynn Hughes)

By John Shaughnessy

SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS—For cousins Jena Thralls and Ashley Vermillion, it’s just a short walk from their college dorm room to the site of their family’s special place in American Catholic history.

At night on the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College west of Terre Haute, Jena and Ashley sometimes walk to the rock that memorializes a historic October moment from 168 years ago—the moment in 1840 when St. Theodora Guérin ended a three-month journey from France and arrived in the Indiana wilderness with a dream.

Standing by that rock, the two freshmen have sometimes imagined what it must have been like in that moment for St. Theodora and the five other sisters who traveled with her from France. Even more, the 18-year-old cousins have tried to imagine what it was like for their great-great-great-great-grandparents as they welcomed into their home the woman who in 2006 would be just the eighth person from America to become a saint.

“If I could time travel, I’d go back to that time,” says Jena as Ashley nods in agreement.

They’re both thrilled to have earned scholarships that let them continue their education at Saint Mary’s—another chapter in the story that connects the saint and the Thralls family.

Ever since they were small children, Jena and Ashley have heard their grandfather’s stories about that connection. They know that the future saint’s traveling group arrived in the deep forest of western Indiana on a rainy night—the end of a journey that included 40 days in a boat crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and an even longer trip by train, ferry and stagecoach across the American wilderness.

They know that St. Theodora was stunned when she finally reached her isolated destination, a reaction she captured in her journal: “To our utter amazement, there was nothing in sight, not even a house. We went down a deep ravine and up on the other side, and through the trees we could see a farmhouse.”

Jena and Ashley also know that the farmhouse belonged to their ancestors, Joseph and Sarah Thralls, the parents of 13 children. The Thralls family welcomed the sisters into their small, primitive home, letting them use half of its rooms. The sisters and the family shared the home until the Diocese of Vincennes eventually purchased the Thralls property for the Sisters of Providence.

The connection with the Thralls family is still celebrated by the sisters.

“We will owe the Thralls family forever for what they did,” says Providence Sister Barbara Doherty, the director of the Shrine of St. Mother Theodore Guérin on the grounds of the college. “The attachment between the Thralls family and the Sisters of Providence is gigantic. It’s a wonderful thing that [Ashley and Jena] are here.”

The feeling is mutual for the two freshmen.

“I love it—the atmosphere, the whole campus,” Ashley says. “I wouldn’t want to go to any other school.”

The cousins weren’t sure they would be able to attend their “dream” college when they were seniors at West Vigo High School in Terre Haute last year. They knew they would need scholarships to help make their dream a reality. They sweated through the application process into the spring. Then came the news. Ashley had earned a Top Ten scholarship, and Jena had received a scholarship named in honor of St. Theodora.

“I was so anxious all year long,” Jena recalls. “When I got the phone call that I got the scholarship, I was almost in tears. I was so excited.”

Jena’s scholarship cements her bond with St. Theodora, a bond that began for her and Ashley when they were 6 and they performed in a Bible school play at their parish, St. Mary-of-the-Woods. The play was about the saint and their ancestors.

“It’s inspiring for me that she’s a saint and a leader,” Jena says. “She was very brave. She came over from France to open this institution. She never put herself first. It’s comforting to me knowing my family was that close to a saint. It’s comforting to know she walked these grounds with my family. I take random walks out there. I try to imagine what it looked like then, what it felt like, what she could see. It’s a blessing.”

Ashley and Jena have tried to follow her example in sharing their blessings. They are committed to community service, especially helping families in need and children in hospitals during the Christmas season.

It’s just one of the bonds that the cousins share. They both have jobs to help pay for their college education. They also are roommates.

Actually, the cousins didn’t ask to be roommates. Instead, they each filled out the survey that the college uses to try to determine compatibility for incoming freshmen. From the survey results, the college matched them as roommates.

“We’re inseparable,” Jena says. “Ever since we were born, we’ve been best friends.”

Ashley smiles and adds, “We do everything together. If she’s in trouble, I’m in trouble.”

Their relationship with God binds them, too. While Ashley describes her faith as strong and committed, Jena says, “When I became confirmed last year, I realized how different the Catholic Church is from other faiths. I like that. It makes me feel strong in my faith.”

There’s one other connection that ties the cousins to the saint. In coming to Indiana, St. Theodora made educating others her life’s mission. Ashley hopes to become an elementary school teacher while Jena is considering becoming an English teacher.

The connection between the saint and the family is still strong after 168 years.

“I always think about her when I’m having struggles,” Ashley says. “She went through a lot. I think about her strength and that helps me be strong.”

She pauses before she adds, “It’s really important to me, knowing that our family helped a saint. Not many people can say that.” †