About St. Julie Billiart,
Our Foundress

Marie Rose Julie Billiart, the foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, was born to a peasant family on July 12th, 1751 in Cuvilly, a small village in northern France. During her childhood she worked regularly with her father and made lace with the village women. The trauma during an attempt on her father’s life caused her to become paralyzed and eventually lose her ability to walk. During this period, her faith in and relationship with God grew deeply.

During the French Revolution Julie’s reputation for holiness made her the focal point of the revolutionists’ wrath. She fled to Compiegne where, in a vision, God showed Julie her future work: the foundation of a religious Congregation marked by the Cross.

On February 2, 1804, Julie Billiart and Françoise Blin de Bourdon vowed themselves to God as Sisters of Notre Dame and promised to devote themselves to the education of young girls, especially the poor, and to the formation of teachers. After Julie’s miraculous cure a few months later, she worked tirelessly for her good God’s glory and for the poor. She spent the next 12 years training her young Sisters both as religious and as educators. Julie Billiart died on April 8, 1816, only 12 years after the founding of her religious community.

"Oh, how good is the good God!" This well-known expression came from the heart of Julie Billiart’s experience.

Marie Rose Julie Billiart was canonized by Pope Paul VI on June 22, 1969. On that day, she was recognized by the universal Church as a woman filled with love for God and God's people. She responded to the call to commit her life completely to God and to spread everywhere the Gospel message that God is indeed good.

May 13 was chosen as her feast day. It was the date on which she had been beatified in 1906. Why is she honored and how do we honor such a woman who is officially a saint of the Roman Catholic Church?

Pope Paul VI said on the day of her Canonization: "We do not create, we do not confer saintliness; we recognize it, we proclaim it!"

Saintliness, he said, is a drama of love between God and the human person; a drama in which the real protagonist is God himself, operating and cooperating. No story is more interesting, rich profound and surprising than this drama. We should be curious about it.

When Julie Billiart was canonized she passed into ecclesial life in a special way. She became part of the "communion of the saints" Before canonization she was revered by the Sisters of Notre Dame, their students and friends but after canonization, she was held up to the universal church, to be revered, prayed to and imitated.

BOOKS ABOUT
ST. JULIE BILLIART

ABOUT
FRANÇOISE BLIN DE BOURDON
(co-foundress)

VIDEO
PRESENTATION ON LIFE OF ST. JULIE BILLIART

HOME PAGE