AAMEN ESSAY WINNER: Eric N.
The African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network (AAMEN) invites you to join us in celebration of National Black Catholic History Month (NBCHM). In 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus designated November as NBCHM, entrusting the archives to Notre Dame University’s Theodore Hesburgh Library. These historical documents preserve the stories of African American Catholic priests, sisters, brothers, deacons, seminarians, and lay people. November is also a sacred time when the Church remembers all saints and souls, including the holy men and women of Africa and the African diaspora.
To honor NBCHM, the St. Michael Chapter of AAMEN partnered with St. Michael School to introduce Middle School students to the inspiring life of Servant of God Julia Greeley, known as Denver’s Angel of Charity. Born into slavery and later freed, Julia dedicated her life to serving the poor and spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her humble acts of love and generosity continue to inspire people of faith today as her cause for canonization advances in the Church.
Sixth Grade – Eric N.
Julia Greeley was somebody who helped those in need no matter how she was treated. Currently, she is being considered for sainthood, and for good reason. I, along with many others, believe that she should be a saint in the Catholic Church. I believe she should be a saint because she helped those in need and followed Jesus’s example through forgiveness, preaching God’s word no matter their race, and whether they were Catholic or not.
Julia Greeley was born into slavery sometime between 1833 and 1848 in Hannibal, Missouri. When she was younger, her right eye was caught by a whip from a slave master during the beating of her mother. Eventually, she was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Despite the cruel and unfair treatment she received, she still decided to do many things to help the poor and needy. She walked across Denver, pulling a red wagon around, providing food and clothes to families in need. She was very humble, assisting white families by providing for them at night to avoid them being embarrassed about being helped by a Black woman.
Although her right eye was destroyed by a white man, she still treated white people as she would any other human being. Although she was discriminated against for her skin color, she still treated people well, as God had intended for her to do. She could’ve been completely bitter against white people for treating her the way they did when she was a child, but she still chose to forgive them. None of us have gone through nearly as much as she has. I don’t get discriminated against. My eyes are completely fine, and yet she still found it easier to forgive cruel people the way Jesus did.
Every month, she would visit every single fire station located in Denver. She delivered literature from the Sacred Heart League to them, even if they weren’t Catholic. After joining the Church and becoming Catholic in 1880, she attended Mass daily because of her great devotion to God. Reading this fact inspired me, because I could be like her—taking some time out of the day to pray and love God. We could be forgiving like her, no matter the things done to us. Through all of the things she’s gone through, she still chose God.
During my time reading about Julia, I feel as if my faith has grown in the sense that I’m more willing to go to church and grow closer to God. I’m more open to forgiving people. I’m more determined to stay devoted to God like she did and help others who are in need, despite whatever they might’ve done. This goes to show truly what a good person Julia was—being able to forgive and stay close to God, despite so many hardships. Her whole life is a great example of kindness, generosity, and humility.
Works Cited
Julia Greeley, Servant of God – Welcome to the official website of Julia Greeley’s Guild & her Cause for Canonization, https://juliagreeley.org/. Accessed 26 September 2025.
Regis University. “From Slave to Saint.” From Slave to Saint, Sheryl Tirol, 26 May 2023, https://www.regis.edu/news/2023/magazine/05/slave-to-saint#:~:text=Although%20she%20had%20very%20little,she%20could%20for%20needy%20families. Accessed 12 September 2025.
St. Charles Borromeo Church. “Black Americans on Their Way to Sainthood: Julia Greeley.” Black Americans on Their Way to Sainthood: Julia Greeley, Mike McGowan, 6 March 2021 https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/2021/03/black-americans-on-their-way-to-sainthood-julia-greeley/. Accessed 18 September 2025