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Founding of the SND

In this text, we discover that Julie Billiart and Francoise were the foundresses of the SND, and we examine their individual upbringings, their social contexts in the age of growing up One aspect of the reading I found surprising is that Francoise had a very aristocratic upbringing. This is not something I would expect of someone who had a strong sense of spirituality, morals, and ethics, but this was who Francoise was. One role model in Francoise's life was her grandmother, who helped to instill good values and morals in her when they went together to check on people's practical well-being. These visits helped shaped Francoise to becoming a more altruistic person. Likewise, Julie still remained persistent and gave lessons to the children despite her illness and being confined to her bed, revealing her utmost compassion.

Last semester, my freshman seminar class focused on the academic study of happiness, and we integrated the study into reading Martyr of the Amazon. Though we are not reading about Sr. Dorothy Stang in this handout, a quote from this handout that struck me, reminding me of my class last semester, was when Francoise summarized her meaning and purpose in life: "To find happiness in procuring the happiness of others." We discussed how the sisters did not see happiness as a goal, but as a byproduct of living a meaningful life just as Julie and Francoise did. We can see the Hallmarks reflected even in their early lives, revealing these two sisters were individuals were genuinely concerned about promoting every individual's dignity.

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