St. Julie Billiart was born July 12, 1751, in France, and died on this date in 1816.
Julie, who was among the youngest children in a large family, had the most basic of educations, and was partially paralyzed for most of her life. In the time she was bedridden, she was known for her devout prayer life.
During the French Revolution, Julie became acquainted with a viscountess named Francoise. The pair became great friends, and were the first superiors of the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame, which ministers to poor children.
St. Julie Billiart said: “Let us pray more and more that the Kingdom of God may spread everywhere in the hearts of all.”
Some of our closest friends may come from backgrounds nothing like ours. Reach out to one of those friends today and tell her how much you love her.
If you’d like a daily reminder to visit the site to read the reflection, you can sign up here. A short daily YouTube video also will be available, and you can subscribe for a reminder on that here.
