Your Faith Journey with EWTN
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
July 12, 1751–April 8, 1816
Patron Saint of The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, educators, catechists, those with chronic illness or physical suffering
St. Julie Billiart lived a life impaired by long suffering, yet she also experienced deep joy, trusting in God’s Providence for her life.
She was born in 1751 in Cuvilly, France, into a poor but devout Christian family. As a child, St. Julie displayed a love for the Faith. Gifted with an extraordinary memory, she knew the Catechism by heart and often explained the lessons to other children.
As a young adult, St. Julie was with her father when an unknown man shot at him. Although neither Julie nor her father was shot, the future saint suffered extreme trauma from the incident that led to paralysis, confining her to bed for more than 20 years.
St. Julie bore her misfortune with patience and sought to provide service, despite her situation. She made embroidered altar cloths and donated them to local parishes, and she taught catechism to the children.
The French Revolution brought further trials. Priests who were not loyal to the government were being persecuted, and St. Julie helped protect them. Realizing that she was in danger, St. Julie went into hiding with the help of her friends. This additional trauma caused her to lose the ability to speak. Throughout the hardships she suffered, her trust in God remained unwavering.
While she was in hiding, St. Julie received a vision that she was to form a congregation of women under the sign of the Cross. In 1804, after years of paralysis, St. Julie experienced a sudden healing, regaining the ability to walk and talk. Later, she founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a religious community dedicated to education and the Christian formation of poor girls.
St. Julie died on April 8, 1816. By the time of her death, her teaching community had established 15 convents in France and Belgium. She was canonized in 1969.
St. Julie Billiart experienced two incidents in her life that caused severe psychological trauma, leaving her paralyzed and unable to talk for more than 20 years. When she was in her twenties, a thief shot at her father in their shop. Although her father was not killed, the shock and fear caused a physical reaction that resulted in immediate paralysis of her legs and, in time, made speaking difficult. Years later, during the French Revolution, she sheltered persecuted priests, which put her life in danger and forced her to flee. In addition, the stress of hiding, coupled with the emotional pain of learning her friends had been beheaded, caused a relapse that took away her ability to speak entirely. Despite her struggles, St. Julie continued to teach catechism and offer spiritual advice from her bed until her dramatic cure in 1804.
The congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, founded by St. Julie Billiart, was founded to make known God’s goodness, primarily through education and service to the poor. They provided free education and Christian formation for marginalized and impoverished girls, and they empowered women by preparing catechists. Known for being outstanding educators, today they operate schools and learning communities on five continents. The core spiritual mission is to manifest God’s love to all people.
St. Julie and her family supported priests loyal to the pope, whom the revolutionaries were hunting. St. Julie hid priests who refused to swear allegiance to the new revolutionary government. She refused to work with a “constitutional” priest and organized a village boycott against him, leading to threats on her life. As a devout Catholic woman active in the faith, she was considered an enemy. When 16 Carmelite nuns, friends of St. Julie, were executed by guillotine, she realized she was in danger. St. Julie’s friends smuggled her out of town in a haycart to escape persecution. She had to move multiple times between 1793 and 1803 to escape. Throughout the ordeal, she was paralyzed from the waist down and struggled to communicate because she had lost her ability to speak. Her caregiver became the co-founder of her congregation.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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