Saint Joan of Arc
Born in a quiet French village in 1412, the pious Joan lived the life of a simple peasant —spinning wool and tending to her father’s flock of sheep. Despite the idyllic quaintness of Joan’s country life, at the time, France was locked in the bitter Hundred Years’ War with England and was on the verge of defeat. These upheavals touched Joan’s life in a profound way. One summer afternoon at the age of 13, as she was praying in her father’s garden, the young girl heard the voice of the divine:
“Suddenly there was a great light. I heard a great voice calling my name…I knew it was the archangel Michael…He told me of the pitiful state of the kingdom of France and that I was to come to the aid of the king.”
Accordingly, she did just that at the age of 16 —making a difficult and dangerous journey to the king’s court. There, she astounded the monarch and his advisors with the breadth of her knowledge —even accurately describing the location of an ancient sword buried behind the altar of St. Catherine’s church.
With the king’s backing, she led French forces to victory at the pivotal battle of Orléans. From there, “The Maid of Orléans” accompanied the king to Reims cathedral where he was crowned Charles VII. These events changed the course of the war and saved the French nation.
Though Joan continued to fight the English, she was eventually captured and convicted of heresy —sentenced to be burned at the stake. Just before the kindling was lit on May 30, 1431, the 19-year-old made one final request: “Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames.”
In 1456, an ecclesiastical court exonerated her of the heresy charges and she was canonized as a saint in 1920.
Submitted by Jennifer Wyse