Karolina Gerhardinger was a 19th-century German religious sister and educator who established the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Born in Bavaria in 1797, she dedicated her life to providing free education to impoverished children. After training as a teacher in Regensburg, she founded her own religious order in 1833, which eventually expanded across Europe and to the United States. Known in religion as Mother Maria Theresia of Jesus, she lived a life of service that left a lasting impact on Catholic educational missions.