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 8 Cuthman of Steyning

Patron Saint of Bachelors

A saint for my friends with dating teens. Common discussions and fears amongst friends of mine with rpe teen and teens include the problem with the casualness of sex, the aggressiveness of girls and the sense of entitlement boys seem to have. The idea that exploration of sex is somehow an accepted part of the current Western culture. Most of the discussions are about keeping the girls pure (amongst my religious friends) or safe (amongst my non religious friends). But half the equation is missing in this discussion – the role of boys and how they are raised. I would say St. Cuthman was raised well.

St. Cuthman’s mother was paralyzed. His father took the physical duties of both mother and father when St. Cuthman was young. They lived in poverty, but were a happy family with basic needs being met. St. Cuthman’s father died when he was a teen. He took over care of his mother. When he could no longer provide enough food he made a cart for her and started pulling. He promised God that when the rope broke, he would stop and build a church in God’s honor. The rope broke near today’s modern Steyning, Cornwall, England. He first built a small hut for his mother. Then started work on the church.

St. Cuthman was raised with a loving mother, a father who was both gentle in the home and responsible outside the home. He instilled a duty to God, a duty to family and a work ethic St. Cuthman carried with him throughout his life. As parents of young boys, I would hope these are qualities we instill. And qualities they carry into their dating lives. They are also qualities that parents of teen girls would like to see in the young men their daughters are dating. The intercessions of St. Cuthman are much needed in the lives of parents of both boys and girls.