April 8 St. Julia Billiart

Patron Saint Against Illness

St. Julia was born into a poor family in 1751 at Cuvilly, France. She had little education, but had memorized the catechism by age seven and began teaching other children. At age 22, she was sitting next to her father when some one shot at him; the shock left her partially paralyzed. During the French Revolution, a group of her friends helped organize the work she’d started by teaching young women and girls.  Julia was miraculously healed of her paralysis in 1804 and resumed teaching and organizing the other women. Her organization became the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame (Institute of Notre Dame; Sisters of Notre Dame), dedicated to the Christian education of girls.

The real truth of  why I picked St. Julia for today was because of a picture of her I found on the SQPN website. It made me want to know the woman in the painting.

St. Julia Billart

February 22 St. Margaret of Cortona

Patron Saint of Sexual Temptation

Born in 1247 in Italy to a farmer, St. Margaret’s mother died was she seven. Much disliked and abused by her stepmother, she ran off at a young age with a handsome younger son of nobility. Living as his mistress, she bore him a son. After nine years her husband was killed by a group of robbers. SHe took this a s sign from God to repent. After publicly confessing her affair, she attempted to return to her father’s house with her son. The two were turned away and took refuge in a monastery. She was still young and quite beautiful and soon found other opportunities to be kept by rich men. After each affair, she returned, remorseful, to the monastery. When she was actually at the monastery, she earned her keep caring for sick women. As she aged and lost her beauty and marketability as a mistress, this became her full time job. She eventually became a Franciscan tertiary, gathered other like minded women and started a hospital for women in Cortona, Italy. The hospital became known for work with prostitutes, mentally ill women and various forms of women reproductive issues. In spite of her endless work on behalf of the poor, she remained a scandalous woman in the eyes of the community.  Perhaps she could also be an intercessor on behalf of Planned Parenthood.