Saint Julie Billiart

Marie Rose Julie Billiart was born in 1751 in Cuvilly, in northern France. A devout child who taught catechism to farm workers, she was struck by illness after a violent shock, possibly when someone shot at her father, and gradually became paralyzed. For some twenty-two years she was confined to bed, yet she prayed, received daily Communion when she could, and taught children from her bed.

During the French Revolution she was hunted for sheltering priests and had to flee in hiding. In 1804, with Françoise Blin de Bourdon, she founded at Amiens the Sisters of Notre Dame to educate poor girls and train teachers. That same year, after a novena to the Sacred Heart, she was healed and walked again. Moving the community's center to Namur, Belgium, she founded many convents and schools despite misunderstanding. Known for her joyful phrase, How good is the good God, she died in Namur on April 8, 1816, and was canonized in 1969.

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur carry her mission to schools and universities in the United States, Latin America, Africa and Europe. Her feast is marked in their schools with Mass, service and reminders of her trust in God's goodness.