Noble Joan!

Sometime during the winter of 1429-1430 Charles VII elevated Joan of Arc and her entire family to nobility. In the official document that Charles executed he referred to Joan as “dear and beloved” and explained that her whole family was ennobled “that the memory of the divine glory and of so many favors may endure and increase forever.” Joan was given the family name of du Lys with armorial bearings(coat-of-arms) as Charles had created for her previously in June of 1429 of a sword supporting a crown with a fleur-de-lis on each side.

While Joan later stated at her trial that she had never personally used the armorial bearings and that the King had given them to her brothers the elevation to nobility was a huge honor for Joan and her family and one that she well deserved.

Vive la Joan of Arc!

2012 The Year of Joan of Arc!

The recent 600th anniversary of Joan’s birth produced a huge amount of news coverage all around the world and many people are now referring to 2012 as "The Year of Joan of Arc.” Lest anyone need a reminder as to why Joan of Arc is so special and deserving of honor throughout this year I thought I would re-print a few of the many words written in praise of Joan over the years by some of the world’s greatest writers and leaders:

"Whatever thing men call great, look for it in Joan of Arc, and there you will find it."
Mark Twain-19th Century American Writer

"Joan was a being so uplifted from the ordinary run of mankind that she finds no equal in a thousand years."
Winston Churchill-Legendary British Prime Minister in WWII

"She was the consummation and ideal of two noble human efforts towards perfection. The peasant's daughter was the Flower of Chivalry, brave, gentle, merciful, courteous, kind, and loyal....She was the most perfect daughter of her Church....her conscience, by frequent confession, was kept fair and pure as the lilies of Paradise."
Andrew Lang-19th Century Scottish Writer and Historian

"...next to the Christ, the highest spiritual being of whom we have any exact record upon this earth is the girl Jeanne"
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-Famous Scottish author of Sherlock Holmes Fame.

"Jeanne d'Arc does not belong to France alone but also to all those whose thoughts are elevated enough to grasp the superior and beautiful among goodness."
Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel-19th Century French Painter

CELEBRATE Joan of Arc’s 600th Birthday!

LIGHT A CANDLE FOR SAINT JOAN ON HER BIRTHDAY!
“She is easily the most extraordinary person
the human race has ever produced.”

January 6, 2012 marks the 600th anniversary of St. Joan of Arc’s birth and there are few people in all of history as deserving of honor and remembrance on their birthday. As Mark Twain very accurately said of Joan: “She is easily the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced.” For this reason all of 2012 is being called the year of Joan with many celebrations taking place worldwide throughout the year starting with parades held in Paris and in New Orleans on January 6 to celebrate on the day of her birth.

You don’t need to attend a large event to celebrate, however, as we can all take a moment on Joan’s birthday this Friday to remember her and honor her. I encourage everyone to light a candle for Joan on her birthday. I have been celebrating this way for several years and there is something almost mystical about lighting a candle and taking a few quiet moments to remember Joan and to reflect upon her life and all that she has come to mean to so many people.

If you need a little help preparing to celebrate Joan’s 600th Birthday then please visit the special page at MaidOfHeaven.com devoted to Joan’s birthday. This page contains many actual quotes from people who knew Joan and her family when she was growing up:
Joan of Arc's Birthday Page

And if you have not done so already you should definitely read the paper I wrote this year to celebrate Joan’s 600th Birthday anniversary that explains the significance of Joan’s birth on the Epiphany titled:
Saint Joan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God

Happy Birthday Saint Joan of Arc!

Joan of Arc’s 600th Birthday and the Significance of Her Birth on the Epiphany.

In eleven days on January 6th of 2012 it will be the 600th anniversary of Saint Joan of Arc’s birth and there will be worldwide celebrations to honor Joan and remember the brilliance of her life. What a contrast, indeed, to the humble way that she entered the world as a simple peasant baby born in an obscure little town. No one among the few friends and family who were aware of Joan’s birth in 1412 would have ever believed that this little baby would grow up to lead the armies of France to victory and become one of the most beloved Saints of God. In fact, the birth of peasant girls in Joan’s day was considered so insignificant that her birth was never even officially recorded however the people of her hometown did remember that Joan had been born on the Feast of the Epiphany. While the people of the world had no idea what Joan would become God in His infinite wisdom of course knew and He may have given the world a clue about Joan with the timing of her birth on the Epiphany. To celebrate Joan’s 600th birthday and as a present to her I thought I would try to explain the great significance of the timing of Joan’s birth on the Epiphany.

Saint Joan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God
The Significance of Joan of Arc’s Birth on the Epiphany

“Most beautiful Maid of Heaven, how brilliant is your light.
Like a shining star you point the way to the Father of all light.”
These opening sentences to Maid of Heaven serve not only as a poetic tribute to the brilliance of Saint Joan of Arc’s life but are also an analogy to the birth of Christ and to Saint Joan’s ultimate mission for God to lead people to Christ. That Saint Joan was actually born on the Epiphany seems to be God’s own exclamation point that this was indeed her greatest mission in her short life here on earth. The significance of Joan’s birth on the Epiphany, therefore, can not be understated and considering the amount of mystical phenomena indwelled in her life’s story it seems rather amazing that the exact timing of her birth on the Epiphany has received so little attention by the legions of writers and artists who have covered Joan in every conceivable form of human expression over the years.

Since I finished writing Maid of Heaven in 2006 I have found myself more than a little reluctant to discuss some of the deeper elements of this poem because I fear it will be too difficult to explain to most people because of what I can only refer to as the mysteries of God. Maid of Heaven was for the most part written “in the Spirit” which is a term that most people have heard however few seem to understand or accept. Since Maid of Heaven was written “in the Spirit” it means that while I wrote the words on paper I was not completely aware of all that I was writing at the time. A prime example are the opening sentences which I am now going to attempt to fully explain because I feel that the great significance of Saint Joan’s birth on the Epiphany is something I MUST convey to people.
To continue reading the rest of this paper please visit MaidOfHeaven.com by clicking here

Christmas for Saint Joan of Arc

One can only wonder about how Saint Joan of Arc celebrated Christmas as there is unfortunately nothing in the historic records however there is little doubt that Christmas would have been a very special time for Joan given her intense love and devotion to God. While Joan was growing up in the small town of Domremy she most likely would have attended at least one worship service and possible more on Christmas day at the little church of St. Remy located just next door to her house. Joan may also have made a pilgrimage to the nearby chapel of Notre-Dame de Bermont dedicated to Mary the mother of Christ. Several of the people from Domremy remember seeing Joan “make confession on Easter and on other feast days” so she is likely to have done so as well on Christmas day. However Joan celebrated Christmas she would have focused on Jesus as this was the focus of her life (read last years Christmas blog entry Jesus & Joan for more).

In the days when Joan lived the Christmas celebration continued for twelve days until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th which was the day of greatest celebration in medieval times. [For those who don’t already know the celebration of the Epiphany in Christian tradition refers to the revelation of God to man in the person of Jesus Christ and the central part of the celebration features the arrival of the “Wise Men” who were led to the baby Jesus by a shining star.] For Joan this day was even more special as this was also her birthday. As a gift to Joan for Christmas and for the 600th anniversary of her birthday I recently wrote a paper detailing the significance of Joan of Arc’s birth on the Epiphany titled: "Saint Joan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God." This paper will be posted online next week so please check back then.

Until then, a Merry ChristMASS to all!

Countdown to Joan of Arc’s 600th Birthday

We are now only a month away from celebrating the 600th anniversary of Saint Joan of Arc’s birth. To help you countdown a special clock was added to the birthday page at MaidOfHeaven.com that will reach zero at 12 midnight on January 5th in the town of Domremy where Joan was born. The clock currently shows a little more than 30 days to go which can be seen at the top of the page for
Joan of Arc’s Birthday

Please bookmark this page and check back anytime to see how much time is left. This page also contains details about Joan’s birth including quotes from the people who knew her the best and several new pictures of Joan, such as the one at the top of this article titled La Petite Jeannette, were recently added.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CELEBRATE JOAN’S 6OOTH BIRTHDAY!

As part of my own celebration I just recently finished writing a paper titled: Saint Joan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God - The Significance of Joan of Arc’s Birth on the Epiphany. I will post this paper here at this blog just after Christmas so please check back then.

Jesus+Maria

Saint Joan of Arc and Veterans Day

How appropriate it is to remember Saint Joan of Arc on Veterans Day as she is the Patron Saint of Soldiers and was herself one of the greatest soldiers to ever live. Veterans Day began as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day and is celebrated every November 11th on the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end World War I. During World War I there were many reports of Saint Joan appearing to soldiers to inspire them onward in their duty as soldiers for God and country. The picture below is from the book The Broken Soldier and the Maid of France which is a fictional story based loosely upon some of these reports.

One episode from the life of Saint Joan that best demonstrates her own great love and compassion for soldiers occurred just after her greatest victory at the Battle of Patay. Coming across a mortally wounded enemy soldier Joan dismounted from her horse and held the man’s head in her lap and comforted him as he died. In reflecting upon this incident from her life one can only wonder as to the mysteries of God and how through His grace the likelihood that Saint Joan has continued to comfort dying soldiers in a similar way as their loving patron saint.

This Veterans Day let us remember Saint Joan and her example as the ultimate soldier: strong yet merciful, courageous yet loving. A true soldier of God!