Julie Michael Comperchio

Sister Julie Michael Comperchio, SNDdeN was born on Beacon Hill in Boston on April 3, 1937. Her childhood was spent on a street named Garden, and she has been surrounded by flowers since. Growing up in a large family with six brothers and one sister first sparked her love of teaching: “I told them if they’d be good and listen and not talk, I’d reward them with a sweet treat from the five-pound box of chocolates my aunt gave each week. I knew then it was meant for me to teach and this I wanted to teach as Jesus did.” 

Her mother had a large influence on Julie’s choice of vocation as well. “What led me to Notre Dame de Namur is my mom whose love for the Sisters she had while attending Cardinal Cushing,” says Sister Julie. “The faith of my mom and dad was passed on to all of us. He was a man of principle, and she was a woman who fed the poor in many ways.”  

While her calling came early at age 16, Sister Julie took the advice of her dad to wait until she fully understood what it meant to make a lifelong commitment to Notre Dame de Namur. She worked for a year as an accountant at the New England Telephone Company and then followed her heart to enter the convent in 1955 at age 18. “As God had work for me then and I know and am assured He’ll walk with me through my remaining years,” she remembers. “I listened to the voice within me and knew at an early age God had something in store.” 

Sister Julie did go on to a long teaching career spanning parish and private schools throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. During the summer, she opened vacation schools for the underprivileged in Hampton and Exeter. “The poor were always with me,” she says. “For many years, I tutored special ed children, who to me were truly special.” She dedicated more than 60 years to working with young students, inspiring a love of learning and a knowledge of God’s goodness wherever she went. 

Sister Julie’s prayer is one of gratitude for the blessings she lives as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. “How great you are, God, for giving me such a wonderful life, with many gifts for your beautiful people and my little and special ones I taught,” she shares.  

Updated 2025