DENVER (CNA) — Julia Greeley was a familiar sight on the streets of Denver in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Wearing a floppy hat, oversized shoes, and dabbing her
bad eye with a handkerchief, Greeley was often seen pulling her red wagon of
goods to deliver to the poor and homeless of the city. She had a particularly
special devotion to the Sacred Heart, and would deliver images and information
about the icon to firefighters throughout Denver every month.
Her charitable work earned her the title of a “one-person St. Vincent de Paul Society” from one writer and made her Denver’s local model of mercy during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Born a slave in Hannibal, Missouri sometime between 1833 and 1848, Greeley endured some horrific treatment — once, a whip caught her right eye and destroyed it as a slave master beat Greeley’s mother.
One of many slaves freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation in 1863, Greeley’s work with the family of William Gilpin,
Colorado’s first territorial governor, brought her to Denver in 1878.
After leaving the Gilpins’ service, Greeley found odd jobs around the city, and came upon the Sacred Heart Parish of Denver, where she was conditionally baptized into the Catholic Church, not knowing whether she’d been baptized before, in 1880. She was an enthusiastic parishioner, a daily communicant and became an active member of the Secular Franciscan Order in 1901. The Jesuit priests at her parish recognized her as the most fervent promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Despite her own poverty, Greeley spent much of her time collecting food, clothing and other goods for the poor. She would often do her work at night, knowing that some of the white families would be embarrassed to be seen receiving charity from a black woman.
“She stood out because of how extraordinary she was,” David Uebbing, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver, told the Denver Catholic.
“Even though she was only earning $10 to $12 a month
cleaning and cooking, she was using it to help other people who were poor,” he
said. “That spoke volumes about the charitable heart she had.
She was also known for visiting firehouses throughout the Denver area promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart by distributing pamphlets, patches and other materials to firefighters.
Tony Gutiérrez, editor of The Catholic Sun, speaks with “The Bishop’s Hour” host Michael Dixon about the life of Servant of God Julia Greeley. Catch full episodes of “The Bishop’s Hour” on Soundcloud, Libsyn, iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
This image of Julia Greeley, a former slave who lived in Colorado, was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Denver by iconographer Vivian Imbruglia. During their fall 2016 general assembly Nov. 14-16 in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops in a voice vote approved Greeley’s sainthood cause moving forward. (CNS, iconographer Vivian Imbruglia, courtesy Archdiocese of Denver)
“In addition, she had great devotion to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and was known for walking (monthly) to 20 different firehouses to give
(felt) badges of the Sacred Heart and tracts to firemen,” Uebbing said.
Julia Greeley died on June 7, 1918 — fittingly, the Feast of the
Sacred Heart. Although her death came unexpectedly, she was able to receive
last rites. It is estimated that she was around 80 years old, though because
she was born into slavery, her exact age was never known.
After her death, her body lay in state in a Catholic
parish for five hours, during which a constant stream of people came to pay
their last respects to the well-known, well-loved woman.
A documentary about Greeley, based on the book “In Secret
Service of the Sacred Heart: The Life and Virtues of Julia Greeley,” has been
produced by the Archdiocese of Denver for the year of Mercy.
Mary Leisring, president of the Julia Greeley Guild, told
Denver Catholic that she was happy
about the recognition Greeley was receiving.
“We had a saint walking the streets of Denver, yet very few people know about her.”
She is one of six African Americans with canonization causes currently open, and as such, she is a patroness of Black Catholics in the U.S., as well as of firefighters and the homeless, whom she served.
*While there are no feast days for Servants of God, this is the date she entered eternal life. She is a patroness of Black Catholics in the U.S., as well as of firefighters and the homeless, whom she served.
