A Glance at the History of ND
Notre Dame has formed deep bonds and communities between students, but not everyone is aware of the history that brought this school to us. The sisters of Notre Dame began with St. Julie Billiart, who was born in Cuvilly, France in 1751, and her experiences in childhood are what made her the saint we know her as today. When she was young, she suffered from poverty, constant hard labor, and many years in paralysis. At the time, she was also enamored with the church and doing service. She would often help her community by teaching the young girls around her, but during the French Reign of Terror she took refuge in Compiegne. During this time she was paralyzed, forcing her to lay in bed all day, so she spent a lot of her time praying. It is believed that from this, a miracle occurred, and she was no longer paralyzed. After this incident she created her own school,which helped many people, especially girls, all over France. Because of this, she has created a long lasting legacy and is a role model for all students, future and present, to follow.
Eventually, St. Julie formed the sisters of Notre Dame, who continued working for the betterment of education for young girls. They later founded our school, Notre Dame San Jose, which officially opened on August 4, 1851.The sisters had come to California at the behest of Most Reverend Joseph Alemany, O.P., Archbishop of San Francisco. They were called upon to create two schools, in San Jose and in Sacramento, but our school was not on Second and Reed Streets as it is today; it was on Santa Clara Street. However, new changes came about for the sisters in 1923. They were encouraged to expand their schools, and they moved the College of Notre Dame to Belmont, San Francisco. After many years teaching in Santa Clara Street the sisters made the decision to transfer over to Second and Reed Street in 1928. Now these streets continue to be the home of Notre Dame.
By learning about the life of Saint Julie and the work of the Sisters of Notre Dame, our school community can hope to leave behind a history as impactful and inspiring as theirs.
