Born in France in 1751, her parents were successful farmers, and Julie, was the sixth of seven children. 

She excelled in all her studies but had a special devotion to learning about her faith and she received her first Holy Communion and her Confirmation early. 

Taking a vow of chastity in her mid-teens, Julie was widely considered a holy young woman, but, at 22, she saw someone nearly kill her father and the shock so disturbed her she lost the use of her legs. 

Confined to her bed she spent four to five years, every day, in prayer, sewing linens for The Church and teaching Catechism to village children who gathered around her bed. 

When The French Revolution broke out, it was widely known that Julie would support hiding priests which put her life in jeopardy, so her friends smuggled her out of town in a hay cart. 

She spent many years teaching, and then had a vision of women in religious habits, and heard The Lord tell her: “Behold these spiritual daughters I give to you, in an institute marked by The Cross.” 

Not long after that, Julie met a wealthy woman named Francois Blin de Bourdon who had nearly lost her own life during the Reign of Terror. 

In 1803 the two founded The Institute of Notre Dame for Poor Christian Children and in 1804, The Sisters of Notre Dame. 

Then, after thirty years, Julie regained the use of her legs. 

Eventually, she opened schools for girls all across France and Belgium, along with fifteen convents. 

She died in Belgium on this day in 1816 at the age of 64. 

St. Julie Billiart, please pray for us.