St. Julie Billiart
There is nothing boring about being a saint!
Those could be the headlines for St. Julie Billiart’s nearly 65 years of life. Julie (Marie Rose Julie Billiart is her full name) was born in Cuvilly, France, in 1751.
God gifted Julie with a uniquely close relationship with Him. His special gift to her was a unique trust in His goodness, expressed in her characteristic phrase, “How good is the Good God!”
That conviction remains the foundation for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the religious congregation St. Julie founded when she was 53 years old. St. Julie spent the remaining 12 years of her life shepherding the Sisters, founding houses – and above all, making known God’s goodness.
She died on April 8, 1816 and was canonized on June 22, 1969. Her feast day is May 13.
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Family’s store robbed, owner attacked
When St. Julie Billiart was a young girl in Cuvilly, France, her father was attacked and thieves robbed him of many of the goods in his small shop. Responding to this family crisis, the enterprising Julie took some of the remaining cloth to a nearby town, where she succeeded in selling them.
The attack on her father traumatized her, however, and perhaps as a result, she gradually became paralyzed. Eventually it was difficult for her even to speak. This paralysis lasted for 22 years. In spite of these and other trials, Julie continued to trust in “the good God.”
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Escaping death – in a hay cart!
The situation could not have been more dangerous. Julie Billiart was paralyzed, totally dependent on her friends and particularly her niece, Felicité. In spite of her vulnerable position, she had to speak the truth: the priests who had sworn an oath supporting the French revolutionists were wrong, and it was wrong to accept their ministry. At one point, in order to save her life, Julie’s friends hid her in a hay cart and carried her to safety at Compiègne, France.
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Woman healed after 22 years of paralysis
Even while she was paralyzed, St. Julie attracted people through her inspired awareness of God and the things of God. They were drawn to her wisdom and goodness, and to her joy in the midst of suffering. She welcomed them to the room friends provided for her in their home, giving them what today we would probably call “spiritual direction: guidance in their relationship with God.
Julie was still paralyzed when she and Françoise Blin de Bourdon founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Sometime later, a priest who was a friend of the community invited her to say a novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with him. His unspoken intention was Julie’s cure. At the end of the novena, he commanded her to stand up and walk. She did – and Julie never stopped traveling, often walking miles to visit her spiritual daughters.
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Hundreds saved from life on the streets
Julie understood that educating girls not only benefited the girls themselves, but also their families. That was the need of the time, and God called her and the Sisters of Notre Dame to meet it. With the financial backing of Françoise Blin de Bourdon, the congregation’s co-foundress, she opened free schools for poor girls. She also opened day schools for middle-class girls and academies for the wealthy, both of which supported the free schools.
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Sisters expelled from diocese – and into the world!
The bishop of Amiens, France thought the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur belonged in only one diocese – his! St. Julie knew God was calling her far beyond those boundaries. The bishop finally ended up expelling her from Amiens. It was a very painful time for Julie, Françoise, and the Sisters. Julie left each one free to choose whether to remain in Amiens – and separate herself from the original Congregation – or go with her. Most Sisters did choose to go with her, and they found a home in the diocese of Namur, Belgium.
St. Julie had remained faithful to the vision God had given her for the Congregation. Today the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur continue this educational ministry, both formally and in less structured ways. There are Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 16 countries on five continents, where they continue their original mission of proclaiming God’s goodness and educating for life.
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