Servant of God Julia Greeley and the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery
Below is a transcript the the video:
Under the cover of night servant of God Julia Greeley was seen distributing clothing, firewood, and even a mattress to those in need. Not only generous but sensitive as well Julia considered how the recipients might feel accepting these items from a woman of color at the turn of the last century.
What inspired her charity?
Nothing less than a heart beating in time with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She collected dresses for girls who did not have the means to purchase their own for a school dance. She donated her original burial plot at Mount Olivet to a man who was to be buried in a Potters field. Each month she walked all over Denver distributing Sacred Heart league pamphlets to every Firehouse in the city even though she herself could not read.
The Sacred Heart depicted by Christ’s heart and flames burning with love for humanity kindled a fire in Julia’s own heart Pope Leo the 13th said: “There is in the Sacred Heart the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return.”
Julia’s daily actions revealed the heart of God on display throughout the streets of Denver. Father Blaine Burkey biographer and advocate for Julia’s cause for canonization suggests that one of the secrets of her own spirituality was surely to place all her day’s activities into the Secret Service of the Sacred Heart.
Julia Greeley was conditionally baptized at Sacred Heart parish in Denver just two months after it opened, after that she attended mass and received the Eucharist daily. The Jesuits who ran the parish called her the most enthusiastic promoter of a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus they had ever seen.
Perhaps the divine result of her deeply authentic devotion Julia died on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 7th 1918. As the date of this feast is tied to Pentecost and varies from year to year it is a beautiful gift that we celebrate the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 7th this year as well.
Julia’s remains are no longer at Mount Olivet cemetery they were transferred to the cathedral basilica of the Immaculate Conception as part of her cause for canonization. Nevertheless, we are honored to be a part of her history.
Whether under the cover of night or the light of day may we all be motivated by the compassionate and merciful Sacred Heart of Jesus revealed through Denver’s Angel of charity Julia Greeley.
The Julia Greeley Guild: https://juliagreeley.org/
