“Always act to the best of your ability and leave the rest to our good God.”
-St. Julie Billiart
Born in a town outside of Boston, Judith was the youngest of three children. Throughout her early years she had many interactions with Sisters of different orders. She was educated in the parish Catholic school staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and attend high school at Notre Dame Academy in Roxbury, Mass., where she rubbed shoulders with Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She found them “a happy, pleasant group of people.” Judith would later work at a Catholic hospital staffed by the Daughters of Charity.
In 1961, Judith made the decision to enter the Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur. In her first mission she taught second grade and had 38 children, including five boys named Michael! She remembers that during a blackout due to a storm the Sisters tried to complete report cards at the dining room table by candlelight.
Sister Judith has been involved in formal education throughout her life. Her present ministry at St. Patrick School & Educational Center in Lowell, Mass, is the one that has meant the most to her because she is able to work directly with the people living in poverty. Sister works one-on-one with children who need assistance, many from all over the world—Congo, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar.
During the summer months, Sister has done parish work involving Bible study and home visiting in Chapmanville, West Virginia, and has gone to the Texas border serving immigrants in various ways.
At the time of her 60th Jubilee in 2021, Sister Judith expressed gratitude for the gift of life and the grace of vocation. Her life has been filled with rich experiences and many friendships. She feels like “a spoiled child of God.”
Sister Judith's Ministries
1965-68 Saint Laurence O’Toole School, Lawrence, Mass.
1968-69 Saint John the Evangelist School, Wellesley, Mass.
1969-70 Star of the Sea School Marblehead, Mass.
1970-73 Notre Dame Academy Tyngsboro, Mass.
1973-76 Saint John the Evangelist School Peabody, Mass.
1976-77 Early Childhood Center Belmont, Calif.
1977-78 Saint Charles Parish Woburn, Mass.
1978-86 Julie Billiart’s Children’s House, Woburn, Mass.
1986-89 Montessori Community School, Scituate, Mass.
1989-92 Saint Mark School, Dorchester, Mass.
1992-2001 Catholic School Office, Dorchester, Mass.
2001-04 Julie Country Day Leominster, Mass.
2004-12 Rosary Academy Learning Center, Watertown, Mass.
2012-17 Saint Jude School, Waltham, Mass.
2017-Present Saint Patrick School & Educational Center, Lowell, Mass.