Former slave Julia Greeley first to be buried at Denver’s cathedral

Denver, Colo., Jun 12, 2017 / 16:01 pm

In what was a historic first for the Archdiocese of Denver, the exhumed remains of a potential saint were laid to rest at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception June 7.

The canonization process for the Servant of God Julia Greeley was opened Dec. 18, and as part of the process, her remains were exhumed from Mt. Olivet Cemetery May 26-31. After careful examination by an anthropologist, her remains were transferred to the cathedral, where they will remain permanently.

A transfer ceremony, presided over by Bishop Jorge H. Rodriguez, was held to honor the laywoman, who is the first person to be buried at the cathedral. The ceremony took place on the 99th anniversary of Greeley's death.

"[Julia Greeley] will be the first person buried in Denver's cathedral. Not a bishop, not a priest – a laywoman, a former slave. Isn't that something?" Bishop Rodriguez said to an applauding congregation.

Greeley exemplified three qualities of holiness throughout her life, Bishop Rodriguez said: humility, perseverance and faith. She was known for walking the streets of Denver, handing out Sacred Heart pamphlets to firefighters and delivering goods to poor families. What wasn't known, however, was that she suffered from arthritis – a fact revealed by the exhumation and examination of her bones.

"We know from the stories passed on to us that Julia Greeley was tireless in her charity and in spreading the faith," Bishop Rodriguez explained. "What we didn't know until the exhumation is that Julia suffered from arthritis in her hands, feet, back…almost every joint that could have hurt, probably did. Nevertheless, she never stopped practicing and doing and showing love."

Dr. Christine Pink, the forensic anthropologist responsible for the exhumation of Greeley's remains, confirmed that Greeley did indeed suffer from arthritis.

"The finding of arthritis was special just given what we know about her walking to all the fire stations and doing what she did. She likely was in pain, and joyful despite that," Pink said.

The bishop spoke of the hope that the ceremony represented – hope that because of Christ's conquering of the grace, the dead will one day, too, be resurrected.

"Our ceremony today is just a very small confession that we believe in resurrection of the body and in the communion of saints. This is why we are here in this place," he said. "We are saying those bones will rise on the last day, and today, we are particularly united to Julia Greeley."

The remains of Julia Greeley were placed in a custom made wooden funerary box, and the faithful were invited to view them. As people came up, they would bow in reverence, kiss the funerary box and even place cloths, rosaries and other items on the case that housed her remains. Those items could become third-class relics should Julia Greeley be canonized a saint.

After the viewing, the box was screwed shut by a carpenter, sealed with gold wax and placed underneath the Sacred Heart statue in the side chapel to the west of the main altar.

The day had come sooner than expected for some.

"This is a great day. We never thought it would come so soon when we started to move things, but God certainly had his own plan," said Capuchin Friar Father Blaine Burkey, whose book In Secret Service of the Sacred Heart: The Life and Virtues of Julia Greeley is likely the most extensive volume compiled about Julia Greeley's life.

Mary Leisring, president of the Julia Greeley guild, was overjoyed to see the cathedral full of so many devoted to Greeley.

"Whether she gets to be a saint in Rome or not does not matter to me, she's already my saint,' Leisring said.

This article originally appeared in the Denver Catholic June 9. Reprinted with permission.