Julia Greeley

The Life of a true Catholic Woman

Julia Greeley: Her Charity Knew No Bounds

Black missionary of the Sacred Heart 

Born into slavery in Hannibal, Missouri about 1840, Julia Greeley came to be revered as a saint at her death in Denver, CO on June 7, 1918.  The Denver Post commemorated her passing with the headline:  “Body of Faithful Servant of Late Governor Gilpin Lies in State in Church of Sacred Heart.”  Blazoned across the Denver Catholic Register were the words:  “Highest Honor Ever Paid to Dead Laic Here Goes to Negress:   Miss Julia Greeley, Former Slave, Most Wonderful Apostle of the Sacred Heart.”  Subheadings continued:  “Years of Heroic Piety Bring Old Colored Woman Privilege of Dying on Her Loved Patron’s Feast Day.  Body Lies in State before Altar while Throngs Pay Her Honor.  Her Charity Knew No Bounds.”  With scarcely any resources of her own, Miss Greeley had personally helped thousands of the poor, both black and white.

Unable to read or write, and uncertain of her own date of birth, Miss Greeley must have been about twenty-five years old when she gained her freedom at the end of the Civil War.  At the time she was in the household of John and Julia Pratte Dickerson of St. Louis, serving as nursemaid to their four children.  After Mr. Dickerson’s death, the widow married Major William Gilpin, who had served as Colorado’s first territorial governor 1861-62, and Miss Greeley accompanied the family in their move to Denver in 1874.  Miss Greeley never married, and after Mrs. Gilpin died in 1912 she became nursemaid to Marjorie Ann Urquhart.  The mother, Agnes Rooney Urquhart, reported that Miss Greeley had predicted the birth of a “lil girl chile” even though Mrs. Urquhart’s doctor declared her unable to conceive.  Miss Greeley also worked as a housemaid and cook at various rectories and private homes.  She carried a handkerchief to dab away discharge from a bad eye, blinded in her childhood, it was said, from a master’s whip.

Miss Greeley entered the Catholic Church in 1880, receiving conditional Baptism at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church and became very devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  She was known to walk miles a day, distributing Sacred Heart magazines, leaflets, medals and rosaries.  In 1901 she was professed into the Third Order of St. Francis, taking the name Elizabeth.  Miss Greeley collected money, food and necessities for the poor.  As a special ministry, she gathered dresses from the well-to-do and gave them to poor girls so they could attend social events.  She gave away everything that came her way, even donating her own burial plot to a man without resources at his death.  Miss Greeley took suddenly ill as she was walking to Mass on the Feast of the Sacred Heart and died later that day.  Several miracles attributed to Julia Greeley’s intercession soon followed, including a recovery from cancer witnessed by Denver physician Martin Currigan.

Bibliography:  Pacificus Kennedy, “Old Black Julia,” Friar, December, 1974, 12-19. Denver Catholic Register, June 13, 1918, 1, 6.

Julia Greeley: Life of a Former Slave

 Life of a Former Slave Continues to Inspire
by Mary Leisring

During Black History Month this story out of Denver introduces us to yet another saintly woman. To rise out of slavery and then dedicate her life to enhance the quality of life for others continues to inspire. Julia Greeley is such a woman.

In April 2009, the Denver Catholic Register wrote an article titled “Denver’s Saintly Woman: Julia Greeley.” This “saintly woman” was a former slave who came to Denver in the employ of Colorado’s first territorial governor, William Gilpin, in 1874.

Greeley entered the Catholic Church in 1880 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Denver. From then on she was known for a great devotion to the Sacred Heart and regularly traveled around distributing the Sacred Heart Magazine, leaflets, medals and rosaries.

Discalced Carmelite Sister Celine referred to Julia Greeley as “everybody’s saint” who supplied “help of any kind, wherever, whenever, tirelessly, in heat or bitter cold.” She was regularly seen traveling in back alleys carrying firewood, food or a bundle of clothing on her back, delivering it to someone in need.

Greeley earned about $10 a month in her work as a domestic in private homes or rectories. From these earnings she helped the poor and even gave to a destitute man her own burial plot, which had been left to her by a Mrs. Gilpin. She helped to restore women’s dignity in a unique way. She begged wealthy women to donate their dresses, and then she restored them for underpaid working class girls. With acceptable clothes, the young women could attend church or go to a social gathering in search of a suitor, avoiding shame.

Julia’s devotion to the Eucharist was well known. She traveled from one church to another to participate in Forty Hour’s devotion. She could be seen kneeling motionless, with perfect posture, absorbed in adoration of the Eucharist. When parishioners objected to her approaching for Communion in her hand-me-down work clothing and oversized shoes, Jesuit Father Edward Barry refused to buckle to the elite’s prejudice.

When she died on the feast of the Sacred Heart June 7, 1918, a multitude of rich and poor citizens streamed past her coffin paying their respects as Julia lay in state at Sacred Heart Church, an honor given to no other lay person in Denver, reported in the September 1943 Colorado Magazine.

There is a reported miraculous cancer healing attributed to Julia’s intercession in 1941 and witnessed by Denver physician Martin Currigan. When Julia’s body was moved to Mount Olivet Cemetery it was said to be incorrupt, another sign of saint-like quality.

In the light of these facts, Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) a Catholic women’s organization dedicated to upholding the dignity of woman, picked Julia Greeley as the model for their annual award dinner to a woman who exemplifies the best qualities of true feminism in a unique way. The time may come when she will be canonized a saint within the United States.

This year’s National Day of Prayer for the African American and African Family also encouraged families to seek refuge and hope in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Its theme is “Jesus consecrate our hearts and families to your most sacred heart.

Mary L. Leisring is director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver. by Mary Leisring, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver,  It can be found online by clicking here.   

To Download a Nomination of Sainthood form, click here.

This article was published in The Catholic Review

Julia Greeley Award

ENDOW Julia Greeley Award Recipients (see biographies below):
2006:  Hanna Nevin
2007:  Suzie LaVelle
2008:  Elizabeth Wisniewski
2009:  Jane Eusterman
2010: Sharon Post
2011:  Jennifer Ricard

(From Left to Right:  Terry Polakovic, Archbishop Jose Gomez, Hanna Nevin, Elizabeth Wisniewski, and Suzie LaVelle)

ENDOW Julia Greeley Award Recipients:

2006:  Suzie LaVelle
Suzie LaVelle is a wife, mother of three, grandmother, Eucharistic Minister and Altar Server at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder, CO.  Through Suzie’s ministry in Real Choices Pregnancy Care Center she felt a deep call to give the unfortunate victims of abortion the dignity and respect they deserve.  With the help of Fr. Andrew Kemberling, Suzie embarked on a mission to develop the “Memorial Wall for the Unborn,” a stone monument designed to give recognition to the thousands of abortion victims.  In so doing, she honored the memory of these forgotten children, but also subjected herself to intense media scrutiny.  Like Julia Greeley who gave of herself for the poor and suffering of Denver, Suzie has also been called by God to help our community.  Because of Suzie, women who suffer the deep emotional and psychological scars of abortion have a vehicle for recovery and unborn children receive the rest and recognition they deserve.  She exemplifies the highest dignity of womanhood and the true feminine genius that ENDOW seeks. 

2007:  Hanna Nevin     
Hanna Nevin has been a faithful Catholic since her early childhood.  She is now 94 years old, and her love for and support of the Church has never wavered.  She is a woman who survived very difficult circumstances with joy and a dedication to serve.  Hanna, like Julia, perfectly exemplifies the feminine genius by showing what one woman can do to improve the lives of so many others.  That is truly our mission at ENDOW.

2008:  Elizabeth Wisniewski
Elizabeth Wisniewski is a young adult who authentically lives out her Catholic faith in today’s society.  Whether having morality discussions with her coworkers or leading purity talks with teens, Elizabeth’s faith permeates every aspect of her life.  Like Julia, Elizabeth is a woman who chooses to fill her free time with activities at the sevice of society and the Church, working actively to bring others to know and love Christ.  Elizabeth exemplifies the feminine genius in answering John Paul II’s call to change our culture.  In this, she is truly living out our mission at ENDOW. 

2009:  Jane Eusterman
Jane Eusterman, like Julia Greeley, is a convert to Catholicism. Her father was Catholic, and she was baptized and received her First Communion in the Catholic Church.  However, she was subsequently raised Episcopalian. After meeting her husband, Vince, and after a great deal of discernment, study and family support, she decided to complete the process to become Catholic.  That was just the beginning of her thirst for knowledge of the Catholic faith.  She is the mother of three young adult children who are faith-filled evangelists for the Catholic Church.  Like Julia Greeley, she also longs to spread the love of Jesus in small ways. She believes that the “little ways” are women’s feminine genius, and everyone has the opportunity and capacity to make a difference, one small act at a time.  In this, she is truly living out our mission at ENDOW. 

2010: Sharon Post
Like Julia Greeley, Sharon Post is regarded by those fortunate to know her as a true sister in the Lord.  A wife, mother of three teenage sons and a long-time member of St. Thomas More Parish, she is a committed Catholic who takes the call to evangelization seriously. She has donated countless hours to religious education for preschoolers, to substitute teaching at her parish grade school, and mentoring young couples through marriage preparation classes. Sharon has been an enthusiastic supporter of ENDOW from the beginning by both participating in and leading study groups. In recent years, she has chaired ENDOW’s Annual Women’s Conference. To everyone she meets, Sharon brings a spirit of patience and compassion as she listens, offers encouragement, and shares unconditional love. We are proud to know her and pleased to bestow upon her the honor of the Julia Greeley Award.

2011:  Jennifer Ricard
Jennifer Ricard has been using her God-given gifts in the service of love and life, spreading the Gospel in her home state of Ohio. Professionally trained as an engineer, she traded the world of aerospace technology for another kind of heavenly calling. Her early days of outreach were spent caring for pregnant and newly delivered moms. She indulged her passion for reading by delving into spiritual classics that shaped her understanding of Catholic theology. She loved John Paul II’s teachings on authentic feminism and theology of the body and when ENDOW came along, she embraced the role of facilitator. In addition to rearing six children with her husband Frank, Jennifer is a spiritual mother to seminarians as well as to the women in her many ENDOW groups. Like Julia Greeley, Jennifer loves worshipping God at daily Mass and faithfully prays for all those entrusted to her.