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Meet Our Patron

St. Joan of Arc

   Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in

Domremy-Greux southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12

when she experienced a vision and heard voices that

she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel,

Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.

   During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops

against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and

Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429.

Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military success–to which Joan contributed.

  

   On May 30, 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. A second Church trial 25 years later nullified the earlier verdict, which was reached under political pressure.

   Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and later among French soldiers during World War I. Theologian George Tavard writes that her life “offers a perfect example of the conjunction of contemplation and action” because her spiritual insight is that there should be a “unity of heaven and earth.”

Patron saint of:  Soldiers and France

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Reflection

“Joan of Arc is like a shooting star across the landscape of French and English history, amid the stories of the Church’s saints and into our consciousness. Women identify with her; men admire her courage. She challenges us in fundamental ways. Despite the fact that more than 500 years have passed since she lived, her issues of mysticism, calling, identity, trust and betrayal, conflict and focus are our issues still.” (Joan of Arc: God’s Warrior by Barbara Beckwith)

To Watch

                                                                                                        Free film on   Formed.

"Although she died at nineteen in 1431, her legend and legacy is stronger than ever five hundred years later. Leelee Sobieski shines as the legendary warrior and saint, Joan of Arc, who, at seventeen, led one of the greatest military campaigns for freedom the world has ever witnessed. Supported by an all-star cast, with glorious cinematography, music score, and stunning scenery, Joan of Arc is a riveting epic film of faith, inspiration, triumph, and tears.

This movie is not rated, but was created with an adult audience in mind. It may contain violence indicative of the life and times of the saint or character portrayed. We would recommend Parental Guidance and that parents preview it before watching with children."

Joan of Arc

Books to read:

For God and Country Paperback – April 21, 2015

by Fr. Michael J. Cerrone (Author)

My Holy Hour - St. Joan of Arc: A Devotional Journal (Young Saints Devotional Journals) Paperback – April 16, 2019

Joan of Arc Paperback – February 5, 2002 - A childrens illustrated book.

by Diane Stanley (Author, Illustrator)

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