St. Julie Billiart

St. Julie Billiart was born on July 12, 1751, in Cuvilly, a village in Picardy, France, to a family of farmers and shop owners. She demonstrated a strong devotion to her faith from an early age, teaching catechism to her friends by the time she was seven. After her family's store was robbed, Julie worked as a farmhand and continued to share her faith with her coworkers. However, witnessing an attempt on her father's life led to a prolonged illness, leaving her paralyzed for 22 years. Despite her condition, she remained spiritually active, counseling and teaching those who visited her. During the French Revolution, Julie harbored non-juring priests and refused to cooperate with those loyal to the Revolutionary government, forcing her to flee to Amiens. There, she met Françoise Blin de Bourdon, and together they co-founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1804. Julie was healed of her paralysis and went on to establish schools for poor girls in France and Belgium. She died on April 8, 1816, in Namur, Belgium. Julie was beatified on May 13, 1906, and canonized on June 22, 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Her legacy continues through the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who work globally in education and service.