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St.
Julie Essay Contest
In
March 2001, The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur sponsored an essay contest
for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students of
Notre Dame sponsored schools to celebrate the 250th birthday of
its Foundress, St. Julie Billiart.
Students were asked to prepare essays based on their insight into
St. Julie’s life. Participating
schools included: All Saints School, St. Francis de Sales School, St.
Susanna School, St. Gabriel School, Queen of Peace School, St. Gertrude
School, St. James of the Valley School, St. Robert Bellermine School
, Mt. Notre Dame High School, Notre Dame High School for Girls
. The following are excerpts from the first, second, and third place
winners from each grade level.
7th
Grade
Kathryn Wendeln, All
Saints School – First Place
“When you ask some people what their lifetime goal is or what
they want to be remembered as, they say a saint. And, obviously, a saint is a huge accomplishment.
But in my opinion, you have your average saint, and then you have
St. Julie Billiart – in a class all by herself.”
Jena Mueller, St.
Robert Bellermine School – Second Place
“Julie would have told us to remember no matter how difficult
life gets, never give up; let your Christian life set you free.
Believe in God’s goodness under every circumstance in our lives.
I think all Julie would expect is for everyone to understand what
it truly means to be a Christian.”
Jason Spellmire,
St. Francis de Sales School – Third Place
“Saint Julie Billiart influenced many lives during her lifetime.
She can influence our lives, too, if we just think about what we
can learn from her. I know I
have learned some things from her. She
has taught me, through her struggles and triumphs, to trust in God to take
care of me.”
8th
Grade
 Teresa
Litzler, St. Gertru
de School
First Place
“We all go through some pain in our life, this is a fact.
The way we handle the pain is what makes each person unique. I
admire the way St. Julie dealt with her pain.
She did not push it onto other people by being mean, blame it on
God, or even deny it. St.
Julie accepted the pain and put her life totally into God’s trustful
hands.”
 Missy
Garland, St. Francis de
Sales School
Second Place
“In the world today, there is a lot of worrying.
Everything has to be faster, newer, and better.
I think St. Julie would tell people to stop worrying and just
depend on God. If you fully trust in him, miraculous things will happen.”
 Kristen
Hedgebeth, All Saints School
Third Place
“Julie Billiart is an inspirational saint, whose life
benefited thousands, and still does today.
Even though she is not alive, she is still helping and inspiring
young girls such as myself to help others.
Girls and boys alike can learn a lot from her, and what an
extraordinary person she was!”
9th
Grade
 Danielle
Meyer, Mount Notre Dame H.S.
First Place
“St. Julie would recognize the need for a positive role
model in today’s youth and would fill the voids. She would influence the young women through all the everyday
choices that they face. She
would warn these young women about the consequences of drugs, premarital
sex and dropping out of school. She
would help to turn any bad situation into something positive.”
 Stephanie
Willhide, Mount Notre Dame H.S.
Second Place
“My child, you must have faith. Your crisis of faith is understandable, but you must be
strong. God loves you.
I want you to have faith and hope for the future, even when life
seems hopeless. Just as
the sunflower follows the sun, so should we follow God.”
Julianna
Palma, Notre Dame H.S. for
Girls – Third Place
“What impressed me most about the life of St. Julie
Billiart is that she had an intimate relationship with God.
She was an audacious woman in desperate times.
She was sensitive to God’s words and his calling.
Her teaching abilities impressed upon my heart the most.
To teach so many is truly a gift, a gift from God I would say.”
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