St. Joan of Arc

A peasant girl who led armies at seventeen, was burned at nineteen, and was canonized as a martyr of conscience.

The story

Guided by the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret, Joan convinced the Dauphin, lifted the siege of Orléans, and saw him crowned at Reims. Captured and sold to the English, she was tried by a corrupt church court and burned at the stake asking for a cross to be held before her eyes. A retrial in 1456 cleared her name; she was canonized in 1920.

What Joan teaches

Courage is obedience to God when it costs everything. Joan's last word was the name of Jesus.

Patronage

France, soldiers, prisoners.

Prayer

St. Joan of Arc, pray that we may hear God's call and answer it without fear. Amen.