Julia Greeley is our patron because:
She reflects the courage, spirit and dignity that is possible for every woman.
When she saw people suffering and in want, she reached out to help, sharing her faith in Jesus Christ with joy, and giving food, clothing and spiritual encouragement to those even poorer than she.
For these reasons, we hold up Julia Greeley as an inspirational help and role model to women who are alone and poor, like she was. In our day, that means these women are homeless, too, and facing threats that include street brutality, sexual predators, and human trafficking.
More than ever, women who are alone and homeless need to know there is hope. Julia Greeley demonstrates that, despite all odds, they can overcome obstacles and recognize their God-given dignity and self worth.
When the Julia Greeley Home was founded, the memory of Denver’s “Angel of Charity,” as she was called, had already spread throughout Colorado and beyond. In 2016, the Catholic Church opened her cause for sainthood, officially declaring her life of faith and service to others to be “heroic.”
This prayer to Julia Greeley was composed when the Julia Greeley Home was founded, and approved for use in non-liturgical gatherings by the Most Rev. James D. Conley, S.T.L., Apostolic Administrator (2011-2012) for the Archdiocese of Denver:
Dear Julia Greeley,
Friend of the homeless, pray for us to Jesus, who suffered so much and for our sake had nowhere to lay His head.
Julia, devoted servant of the Sacred Heart, implore the powerful intercession of the Blessed Mother and ask her help in all our needs, especailly the needs of those who have no one to pray for them.
Julia, gentle champion of the lonely and powerless, please ask for the protection of dear St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family.
And please pray, dear Julia, for our urgent request, that the Eternal God, defender of the weak, will grant us tyhe blessing of a shelter for all single homeless women in the Denver area, that they may find a suitable refuge in keeping with their human and moral dignity.
