St. Julie Billiart had complete trust in God’s providence
Nothing in Julia Billiart’s childhood in 18th century France predicted the difficult events she would deal with in her adult life. She was born on July 12, 1751, the fifth of seven children, to a moderately prosperous family in Cuvilly, Picardy, France. She was christened Marie Rose Julia Billiart and was a devout child encouraged by her parish priest to teach children the catechism and to visit the sick.
Nothing in Julia Billiart’s childhood in 18th century France predicted the difficult events she would deal with in her adult life. She was born on July 12, 1751, the fifth of seven children, to a moderately prosperous family in Cuvilly, Picardy, France. She was christened Marie Rose Julia Billiart and was a devout child encouraged by her parish priest to teach children the catechism and to visit the sick.
Family life changed when her father’s dry goods business failed when Julie was 16. She spent the next few years traveling to larger towns trying to sell off the remaining inventory.
Julie was in her early 20s when robbers invaded the house and shot her father. The shock sent her into a traumatic paralysis that left her an invalid for the next 20 years.
She used her time at home to find hiding places for fugitive priests during the French Revolution, which broke out in 1789. Eventually she had to be smuggled out of Cuvilly because she was accused of harboring priests and supporting the church.
Friends came to her aid,hiding her in a cart filled with straw and taking her to Compiègne.
Richard McBrien writes in Lives of the Saints that when the worst of the Reign of Terror was over, Julie moved to Amiens. She met an aristocratic woman there, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, who looked after her. Together they founded the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame, now known as the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
When religious persecution began again, both women moved to Bettencourt where, with a group of women, they conducted catechetical classes for the villagers. Then they met Father Joseph Varin, who helped them lay the foundations of the order, which included a devotion to the spiritual education of poor children.
Father Varin provided a provisional rule, and the first sisters made their vows in 1804. Julie and Frances opened an orphanage soon after. During a mission in Amiens another priest conducted a novena to the Sacred Heart. After five days of intense prayer, he said to Julie “If you have any faith, take one step in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Mother Julie got up and walked, after having been an invalid for 22 years.
But with that one miracle came a serious setback when Father Varin was replaced. According to McBrien, the new chaplain was less sympathetic to the two women as co-foundresses and turned the bishop against them. Some priests wanted to bring the sisters under closer control. Julie maintained that her sisters had to be mobile. She also did away with the traditional division into choir and lay sisters. All were to pray and meditate and to share in manual work. This resulted in the temporary closure of all their convents and schools in France.
Paul Burns writes in Butler’s Lives of the Saints that Julie dealt with these setbacks by keeping a complete trust in God’s providence. Julie and Frances left Amiens and moved their motherhouse to Namur. Julie kept her community together by her constant visits and her optimism.
Mother Julie traveled constantly, expanding her institute and opening schools in France and Belgium until her death in 1816. She was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969. Her feast day is April 8.
Mary Lou Gibson is a freelance writer who loves to explore the lives of saints. She is a member of St. Austin Parish in Austin.
