Friday, February 17, 2017

Week Five

Julie Billiart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon
  • Wanted to help those vulnerable due to poverty or neglect
  • SND formed in France
  • Julie was humble, had sclerosis (abnormal hardening of body tissue) & couldn't speak clearly
  • Francoise was an aristocrat, outdoors enthusiasts 
  • Very different but soon formed a deep bond

Francoise’s early life & education (1756-1781)
  • Raised by maternal grandparents
  • Financially stable, attended elite boarding schools
  • Learned practical skills, how to run a household
  • Her and her grandmother checked on villagers well-being often
  • At 12 she moved to continue her education
  • At 16 she made her debut to French society
  • Moved to Amiens
Julie’s early life & education (1751-1773)
  • Raised in a small village
  • Father sold lace and cloth, owned some land
  • at age 9 she was already teaching poorer children about religion
  • At 16 financial crisis happened, her fathers store was robbed
  • Worked as a farmer for some income
  • Early twenties formed muscular disorder, state of paralysis 
Francoise’s 20s & early 30s (1781-1794)
  • Julie had people come to her room for lessons
  • Francois refused to get married
  • Cared for medial health of poor villagers
  • Francis and her father arrested and incarcerated in Amiens
Julie’s 20s & 30s (1773 - 1794)
  • Providing religious education, Julie became known as the Saint of Cuvilly
  • Had some connections with both the First and the Second estates
  • Had to be carried in a special chair due to her paralysis
  • An active supporter of several non-juring priests
Julie & Francoise Meet in Amiens (1794)
  • Francoise escaped the guillotine
  • Friendship between Francoise and Julie developed during the Winter of 1794-95 while both were residents at the Blin home in Amiens
  • Their sense of mission gradually formed into the founding principles of a new order of nuns
  • Sisters of Notre Dame, established by Julie and Francoise together on February 2, 1804.











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