Saint Joan of Arc is Crying for America!

If you look closely at the face of St. Joan of Arc in the statue above with the American flag you can see tears streaming down from her eye.  How appropriate considering the momentous events that have taken place with the federal government of the United States of America sending a clear message that it has chosen to be the enemy of God.  I have no doubt that St. Joan, along with the rest of God's Kingdom in Heaven, is indeed crying because a nation that was once "founded…on the Gospel of Jesus Christ," as Patrick Henry once proclaimed, has chosen to turn its back upon that same God who has Blessed it so greatly.  Saint Joan in particular cries for America because she knows so well from her own life the terrible price that must be paid in blood to undo the acts of a few self-serving tyrants.  St. Joan also cries because she knows that for everyone who truly loves God the enemy of God is their enemy as David wrote in Psalm 139.  Every American who loves God should therefore be crying along with St. Joan because our own government has now become our enemy.  Only God Himself can save us from such evil!

Joan of Arc: A Soldier’s Saint

During Memorial Day weekend this year as we remember and honor all of our soldiers let us also remember that Saint Joan of Arc is the patron saint of soldiers for a very good reason. I can think of no better person to be the patron saint of soldiers than St. Joan because her own military career gave her an intimate knowledge of what it means to live and die as a soldier. While almost everyone seems to know about Joan’s great military victories few seem to remember that she also suffered the agonies of war having been wounded on at least three separate occasions as well as having been captured and kept as a POW for over a year before she was executed. Because of her own experiences as a soldier Joan can truly empathize with what all soldiers go though during war. One episode from Saint Joan’s life that best demonstrates her own great love and compassion for soldiers and demonstrates why she is indeed the perfect person to be the patron saint of all 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 touching incident from Joan’s 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 on many battlefields down through the years in a similar way as their loving patron saint. This year on Memorial Day let us remember Saint Joan and her example as the ultimate soldier: strong yet merciful, courageous yet loving. A true soldier of God!

St. Joan of Arc & the Truth about Snipers & Why Tyrants like Hitler Always Hate Them

In recent days I have been amazed and sickened by some of the vicious comments I have heard directed at Chris Kyle, the soldier portrayed in the new movie American Sniper, and I felt I could help people better understand the truth about snipers and why they are so feared and hated by the kind of people making the negative comments.  In St. Joan of Arc’s army soldiers that functioned as snipers were as important to her military success as they are today to the success of modern military operations.  One man in particular in St. Joan’s army known as Master John the Culveriner became legendary precisely because he was so deadly at long range with a weapon called the hand culverin which was the medieval forerunner to a long range rifle.  In the famous Journal of the Siege of Orleans he is recorded as being particularly hated by the English for picking off so many of them with his weapon.  There were also many men in St. Joan’s army that carried crossbows which was of course the weapon that William Tell became famous for using as a sniper. Considering that St. Joan of Arc has been hailed by military historians as the very flower of chivalry if St. Joan had felt that the function of a sniper was in any way illegal, unethical or contrary to honorable warfare then she would have put an end to the practice immediately since she had no tolerance for evil down to the point of even forbidding swearing among her men.  Obviously St. Joan considered snipers to be an honorable part of warfare that aided and protected her own men and ultimately helped to defeat the enemy and put an end to warfare as soon as possible which was always her greatest goal in war.

“Why did Schiller have to immortalize
that Swiss sniper [William Tell]!”- Adolf Hitler

If snipers were considered a proper part of warfare by someone as pure of heart and close to God as St. Joan of Arc then let us consider exactly who it is and why it is that certain people hate snipers so much and go to such lengths to denigrate them.  The most famous portrayal of a sniper in all of history is of course that of the Swiss sniper William Tell.  Of the many versions of the story that have been written the one by the Poet of Freedom Friedrich Schiller is particularly inspiring because it shows how one patriotic individual can effectively fight back against a tyrant and win.  This message is extremely disturbing to tyrants like Adolf Hitler who, despite his great desire to want to use the intellectual legacy of Schiller to legitimize his Nazi regime, had Schiller’s play about William Tell banned in 1938.  Today’s tyrants and their agents are no different than Hitler and will do anything and everything they can to try to keep people from learning the truth about snipers exactly because they are such a lethal threat to their maintaining control.  Ultimately in condemning brave soldiers like Chris Kyle the haters are really revealing their true colors and what they really stand for which is the suppression of freedom.  It is too bad that these kind of people can not learn the lesson from Hitler’s failed attempt to control the world because despite all their efforts they will never defeat freedom loving people precisely because there will always be heroic snipers like William Tell and Chris Kyle to prove dramatically to the world that one individual can effectively fight back and win.

As an addendum let me explain to all the loyal readers of this blog that this article is a prime example of why the Maid of Heaven Foundation was begun which I introduced to everyone earlier this month on St. Joan’s birthday.   In keeping with our mission to inspire people to Love God and Live Free like St. Joan of Arc this article is a lot more than just a history lesson.  I will of course continue to write articles specifically about Joan of Arc’s history but I feel that the greatest way that I can ever honor St. Joan and every soldier like her that has ever fought for freedom is to do everything I can to make sure that the world we live in is as free as possible.  RIP Chris Kyle!

Celebrate Joan of Arc's Birthday: THE Saint for our troubled times!

At a time such as this when evil seems to be running rampant in our world there is no better hero of the faith than St Joan of Arc to provide an example of how to properly resist evil.  Born into troubled times when a terrible war was ravaging her homeland the way that Joan responded to all the evil attacking her society can serve as model for everyone.  LOVE GOD  While Joan was growing up she developed a deep and passionate love for God which is the great lesson to learn from her life.  The greatest commandment as Jesus said to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind" is also the best way to respond to any crises in life which Joan well understood. By drawing close to God He will draw close to you and give you the power to overcome any evil that you may face in the world.  This is the one and only difference that Joan exhibited when she was growing up that she had a much deeper devotion to God than anyone else around her which is the true explanation for the amazing power that she demonstrated in successfully combating evil in her own time.  LIVE FREE  It is only natural that Joan possessed a great passion for freedom since the ultimate freedom is to be found in Jesus Christ: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, then you shall be free indeed."  And the closer anyone becomes to God then the more they will want everyone that they love to not only find the ultimate freedom given through Jesus but to also live as free as possible in this present world.  This is what drove Joan to sacrifice everything and leave home at the young age of sixteen to lead the armies of France because Joan simple refused to accept anything less than complete freedom for the people that she loved.  Everyone that is a Christian should learn to have the same passion as Joan possessed for freedom and be willing to fight and resist whatever evil is encountered in the world that seeks to take away any of our freedom.

The great example of St. Joan of Arc's life is so powerful that it can not only help everyone to learn how to best resist evil but can also help anyone to develop the kind of deep love for God that Joan possessed which was the key to her success.  I am pleased to announce that in 2015 a charitable foundation is being established to honor St. Joan by teaching her true history in a way that will help instill in all people the same values that made her one of the greatest and most admired people in all of history.  To learn more please visit the Maid of Heaven Foundation

Joan of Arc: A Saint for All Soldiers

As we remember our soldiers this year during Memorial Day Weekend let us also remember that Saint Joan of Arc is the patron saint of all soldiers for good reason.  I can think of no better person to be the patron saint of soldiers than Joan because her own military career gave her intimate knowledge of what it means to live and die as a soldier.  While everyone seems to remember Joan’s great military victories few seem to know that she also suffered the agonies of war having been wounded on three separate occasions as well as having been captured and kept as a POW for over a year before she was executed.   Because of her own experiences as a soldier Joan can truly empathize with what all soldiers go though during war.   One episode from Saint Joan’s life that best demonstrates her own great love and compassion for soldiers and demonstrates why she is indeed the perfect person to be the patron saint of all 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 on many battlefields down through the years in a similar way as their loving patron saint. This year on Memorial Day let us remember Saint Joan and her example as the ultimate soldier: strong yet merciful, courageous yet loving. A true soldier of God!

Joan of Arc's Victory at Orleans on May 8th

On Sunday May 8, 1429, Saint Joan of Arc achieved complete victory at Orleans and fulfilled the promise she had made only few months earlier to liberate the city.  On the morning of May 8th following the previous day's spectacular storming and taking of the fort Les Tourelles by the French, the English defenders remaining around Orleans left their siege positions and assembled in order of battle in an open field near the city.  The French forces came out of Orleans to oppose the English and for an hour the two armies faced each other.  During this time Joan called for mass to be held.  A citizen of Orleans, Jean de Champeaux, later testified as to what happened next:  "The masses completed, Joan said to look and see whether the English were facing them.   'No, the English are turned towards Meung' someone replied.  'In God's name,' Joan replied, 'They are going. Let them go, while we go give thanks to God and pursue them no farther, since today is Sunday."  And thus total victory was achieved at Orleans as the English retreated away from Orleans.  Joan and her army returned to Orleans and celebrated with the citizens of Orleans, a celebration that is renewed every year on May 8th in honor of the "Maid of Orleans."

Video of Annual Celebration in Orleans honoring Joan

St. Joan of Arc, Easter and Communion

“At least in your final hours, you once again enjoyed the Church’s
mercies in preparing your soul.” from book Maid of Heaven 

Thursday is traditionally the day during Holy Week of Easter when Christians remember the “last supper” of Jesus by receiving communion so I thought I would share a personal story that helped me to better understand just how important communion was to Saint Joan of Arc and how every Christian should value the “Eucharist” just as she did as one of our Lord’s greatest gifts and blessings. While I was writing the final part of Maid of Heaven several years ago about Joan’s imprisonment and trial I was asked to help serve communion at the little church where I attended services. As I helped to serve the bread I began to think about Joan and how she had been denied communion during all those long months she had been alone in prison. She had repeatedly asked the priests who helped guard her to receive communion but they had been ordered by the chief judge at her trial Pierre Cauchon to refuse her requests probably as a way to further punish and torment her while she was on trial. As I passed out the bread during our service I thought about how desperate Joan had been to receive what I so easily received and took for granted. I really felt like crying when I thought about how special communion was to Joan and how much it had hurt her to not be able to receive the Lord’s body. Finally, during her final hours after she had been condemned to death and shortly before she was sent to the stake, she was allowed to receive communion. What joy it must have brought to Joan even though she knew she was to die just a short time later. Martin Ladvenu was the Priest who served Joan her last communion and he later described it in this way: “On the morning of Joan's death, by permission and order of the judges…I heard Joan's confession and administered our Lord's Body to her, which she received with such humility, devotion, and copious tears as I could not completely describe.”

May God Bless everyone with a great Holy Week and Easter this year.

HE IS RISEN!!!

St. Joan of Arc & The Epiphany

I have spoken before about the many spiritual lessons I have learned from St. Joan of Arc but one that is very dear to me is how I learned to more fully celebrate Christmas because of St. Joan's own birth on the Epiphany.  Like many Christians at Christmas I had focused primarily on Christmas day without understanding that the full celebration lasts until Twelfth-night or the Epiphany.   The reason the Epiphany is so important is because that is when we celebrate the actual revelation of God to man in human form in the person of Jesus Christ.  It is on this day that the three wise men following the star in the sky arrived in Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus which completed the revelation to the world that the savior to mankind had been born.  One of the most detailed descriptions I have ever seen about the full story of the birth of Christ including the Epiphany is contained in the first 59 pages of the famous novel Ben Hur and I would encourage anyone wanting a more complete understanding of the full Christmas story to read these pages as I have now begun doing every year to celebrate Christmas.  You can find this book online at:  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2145/2145-h/2145-h.htm

And to better understand about the significance of St. Joan of Arc's own birth on the Epiphany I would recommend reading a paper I wrote two years ago to celebrate her 600th birthday titled:  Saint Joan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God - The Significance of Joan of Arc's Birth on the Epiphany

Thank you once again St. Joan for teaching me more about the great God that you love and serve so well as one of His Saints.  

Joan of Arc's Crowning Achievement

“Huzzah after huzzah swept the army from van to rear; and as for Joan, there where she sat her horse gazing, clothed all in white armor, dreamy, beautiful, and in her face a deep, deep joy, a joy not of earth, oh, she was not flesh, she was spirit! Her sublime mission was closing – closing in flawless triumph.”  from Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc fulfilled her primary mission to have Charles VII crowned and anointed as King of all France. Joan had predicted that she would lead Charles to his crowning in Reims when she had begun her mission only a few months earlier in 1429. What had seemed impossible to everyone except Joan occurred that summer day in late July of 1429 in the Cathedral of Reims when Charles VII was crowned King of France.  Many people, including historians, have a hard time understanding the strategic brilliance of Joan in focusing upon getting Charles VII crowned in the traditional way so that the people of France would view him as their legitimate King. Joan understood that to achieve ultimate victory over England it was necessary to unite all of France behind one King. Unfortunately for Joan the crowning of Charles VII also marked the pinnacle of her career. But Joan had changed the course of history and the man she crowned King of France would ultimately lead France to complete victory over the English.

Battle of Patay Anniversary: Joan's Great Victory!

On June 18, 1429, Joan of Arc achieved her most overwhelming victory in her military career when her forces annihilated an English army of over 6000 that had been sent to stop her after her victory at Orleans the previous month. This battle was a very lopsided affair with the English losing almost their entire army while the French suffered a loss of only a handful of men.  The devastating effect that this battle had upon the English and their leadership is best seen in their actions after this battle.  Never again would they aggressively challenge Joan to fight as they had done prior to Patay but instead would seek a course of political maneuvering in order to try to stop her from driving them out of France.  Unfortunately in recent times Joan does not seem to get the credit she deserves for this impressive victory with many modern historians diminishing her role in the battle.  What may be the best argument for Joan's true role in the great victory at Patay is probably the very actions of the English leaders after Patay because it is very clear that Joan is the one who they feared after their devastating defeat at Patay.  To learn more about the Battle of Patay and about what a great military leader Joan of Arc truly was please read the paper I wrote several years ago about Joan of Arc & the Battle of Patay.

St. Joan of Arc's Feast Day: Her Memorial Day

"Greater love hath no man than this, 

that a man lay down his life for his friends"

Every year on Memorial Day we remember our fallen soldiers and their sacrifices in the service of our country.  In much the same way I always remember St. Joan of Arc this time of year because the anniversary of her death is either on or close to when we observe Memorial Day each year. St. Joan was perhaps God's greatest soldier and her sacrifices in defense of her country and people exemplify what Jesus spoke of when he taught that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

This Thursday, May 30th will mark the 582nd anniversary of St. Joan's death when she was burned to death at the stake by her enemies.  It was a horrible way for Joan to end what was such a brilliant life of service to God and to her people.  But even in the midst of this "horrible business," as one eyewitness later put it, Joan continued to serve God until the bitter end crying out the name of Jesus with her very last breath.   The heroic way that Joan died was described by an eyewitness as causing everyone present including even some of Joan's enemies to have "recognized God's hand and made professions of faith when they saw her make so remarkable an end."

The anniversary of the death of Saint Joan is celebrated each year by Catholics as her feast day which is a way to remember her life and service to God (The special page at MaidOfHeaven.com can be found at Feast Day). Let us all take a moment this year to remember Joan and honor her for her service to God in the same way that we remember and honor all our soldiers on Memorial Day.  Ultimately, Joan was fighting for God and gave her last full measure of devotion so that all of us are able to receive the true freedom offered only though God's son Jesus Christ. 

Vive la Jehanne! 

Joan of Arc's Longest Day & Victory in Orleans

"The next day May 7, 1429 would be long 

and hard, but would end with spectacular success.

You asked Father Pasquerel to always stay near 

your side, so he could aid you in your distress.

'Tomorrow blood will flow from my body, above 

the breast,' to the father you had to confess."

 from Maid of Heaven: The Story of Saint Joan of Arc

On May 7,1429 in Orleans St. Joan of Arc led the french forces against the seemingly impregnable fortress Les Tourelles held by the English. The day before Joan had told her confessor Father Pasquerel: “Rise tomorrow very early, earlier even than today, and do the best that you are able. It will be necessary to keep always near me, for tomorrow I shall have much to do, and greater need of you than I have ever had. Tomorrow the blood will flow from my body, above the breast.” During the course of the fighting Joan was severely wounded as she had predicted when an arrow pierced her body just above her breast. Without Joan to lead them the soldiers and their commanders quickly lost their resolve fearing the battle was lost without Joan and the assault on Les Tourelles appeared as if it would end in failure. Then the miraculous occurred when Joan re-appeared on the battlefield and seized her banner and lead the French army forward to make another assault upon Les Tourelles. Jean d'Aulon, who was the head of Joan's military household, later recalled the amazing turn of events: ". . . the lords and the captains who were with her, seeing that they could not well gain it this day, considering how late it was and also that they were all very tired and worn out, agreed among them to sound the retreat for the army. This was done, and, at the sound of the trumpet call, each one retreated for the day. During this retreat, [d'Aulon] who had been carrying the standard of the Pucelle and still holding it upright in front of the boulevard was fatigued and worn-out, and gave the standard to one named Le Basque, who was with the Lord of Villars. And because [d'Aulon] knew Le Basque to be a brave man, and he feared that harm would come from the retreat, and that the fortress and the Boulevard would remain in the hands of the enemy, he had the idea that if the standard were pushed ahead, due to the great affection in which it was held by the soldiers, they could by this means win the boulevard. And then [d'Aulon] asked Le Basque if he would follow him when he entered and went to the foot of the boulevard; he said and swore he would this. And then [d'Aulon] entered the ditch and went up to the base of the side of the Boulevard, covering himself with a shield for fear the stones, and left his companion on the other side, believing that he would follow him step-by-step. But when the Pucelle saw her standard in the hand of Le Basque, because she believed that she had lost it, as [d'Aulon] who had been carrying it had gone into the trench, she came and took the standard by the end in such a way that he had to let it go, crying, "Ha! My standard! My standard!" And she shook the standard in such a way that the one who is testifying imagined that others might think that she was making a sign to the others by doing this. And then he who was speaking cried: "Ha, Basque! Is this what you promised me?" And then Le Basque tugged at the standard that he dragged it from the hand of the Pucelle, and after this, he went to [d'Aulon] and brought the standard. Because of these things, all those in the army of the Pucelle gathered together and rallied again, assailed this boulevard in such great fierceness that, a short time afterwards, the boulevard and the fortress were taken by them, and abandoned by the enemy, and the French entered the city of Orleans by the bridge . . ."
This was indeed Joan of Arc's "Longest Day" and a day that not only led to victory at Orleans but was also the turning point in the Hundred Years War. 

Joan at Orleans

After Joan of Arc arrived in Orleans on April 29, 1429, she continued to try to warn the English besieging the town to leave with two more letters (Joan first warned the English in a letter on March 22, 1429). Joan sent a letter to Lord Talbot, the English leader in Orleans, that was later described by Lord Dunois the “Bastard of Orleans” at her trial of rehabilitation as follows:

“She did in fact address to the English a letter, written in her mother tongue, to raise the siege or, if they refused, to attack them so strongly they would be forced to retire. This letter was addressed to my Lord Talbot. And I affirm that from that hour, while formerly the English with two hundred of theirs could put to flight a thousand of ours, it required only four or five hundred of our soldiers to combat all the power of the English, and we were so successful with the enemy that they no longer dared to leave their strongholds and bastilles."

 Joan then had a letter shot into the fort Les Tourelles on May 5, 1429 that contained her final warning:

 “You, men of England, who have no right in the kingdom of France, the King of Heaven sends word to you, and commands by me, Joan the Maid, that you leave your fortresses and return to your own country. Otherwise I will produce a clash of arms to be eternally remembered. This is the third and last time I will write to you, and I will not write to you any more. Jesus Maria Joan the Maid”

Unfortunately for the English they did not heed Joan's warnings and would pay a heavy price only a few days later.

Joan of Arc, Easter and Communion

“At least in your final hours, you once again enjoyed the Church’s
mercies in preparing your soul.” from book Maid of Heaven 

Today is traditionally the day during Holy Week when Christians remember the “last supper” of Jesus by receiving communion so I thought I would share a personal story that helped me to better understand how important communion was to Saint Joan of Arc and how every Christian should value the “Eucharist” as she did as one of our Lord’s greatest blessings. While I was writing the final part of Maid of Heaven about Joan’s imprisonment and trial I was asked to help serve communion at the little church that I attended. As I helped serve the bread I began to think about Joan and how she had been denied communion during all those long months she had been alone in prison. She had repeatedly asked the priests who helped guard her for communion but they had been ordered by the chief judge at her trial Pierre Cauchon to refuse her requests probably as a way to further punish and torment her while she was in prison. As I passed out the bread I thought about how desperate Joan had been to receive what I so easily received and took for granted. I really felt like crying when I thought about how special communion was to Joan and how much it had hurt her to not be able to receive the Lord’s body. Finally, during her final hours after she had been condemned to death, she was allowed to receive communion. What joy it must have brought to Joan even though she knew she was to die just a short time later. Martin Ladvenu was the Priest who served Joan her last communion and he later described it in this way: “On the morning of Joan's death, by permission and order of the judges…I heard Joan's confession and administered our Lord's Body to her, which she received with such humility, devotion, and copious tears as I could not completely describe.”

May God Bless everyone with a great Holy Week and Easter.

HE IS RISEN!!!

A Tribute to Saint Joan of Arc on Her Birthday!

"Most beautiful Maid of Heaven, how brilliant is your light.
Like a shining star you point the way to the Father of all light."

From a personal standpoint the greatest thing I can ever say about Saint Joan of Arc is that she leads me closer to God.  Last year to celebrate the 600^th anniversary of her birthday I posted a paper I wrote titled SaintJoan of Arc: A Brilliantly Shining Light of God which explains why I believe that leading people to God was and is Joan’s greatest mission.  It is ultimately this that makes Joan so beautiful to me which is the beauty of a soul in Christ helping me to better know the great beauty of our Lord as David expressed in Psalm 27:

“One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord”

What has been so frustrating to me is how difficult it seems to be to share with others about Joan’s true nature and beauty.  Last year after six years of almost continuous effort I came to a certain realization and added the quote below to the page of famous quotes testifying to Joan’s greatness located at MaidOfHeaven.com. 

"I spent six years attempting to give people a proper

understanding of the incredible beauty of St. Joan of Arc

 as I have been blessed by God to have been able to see in

what at most has been a brief glimpse. I now realize it is

an impossible task due to the severe limits of

human expression. " 

When I wrote these I words I realized that this was perhaps the greatest tribute that anyone could ever give to Joan to say that her beauty is simple beyond the ability of human expression to completely describe.   So happy birthday to you Jehanne this year on the 601^st anniversary of your birthday and may you continue to be a brilliantly shining light of God ever leading people closer to our great God Who created you.  

“For all of this and all that you still are,

 I will love you forever and for all eternity.”

† Jesus Maria

Joan Crowns Charles VII Anniversary

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc fulfilled her primary mission to have Charles VII crowned and anointed as  King of all France. Joan had predicted that she would lead Charles to his crowning in Reims when she had begun her mission only a few months earlier. What had seemed impossible to everyone except Joan occurred that summer day in late July of 1429 in the Cathedral of Reims when Charles VII was crowned King of France. All the French people loyal to Charles rejoiced as echoed by Christine de Pisan in her famous epic poem The Song of Joan of Arc:


"Now let us welcome our King!
Rejoice at his return from his fall,
overjoyed at the site of his splendor.
Let us all both great and small
step forward to greet him-no one
hold back-salute him with joyful face.
Praising God who has been so kind
let shouts of "Noel!" fill the place."
Christine’s poem was finished shortly after Charles VII was crowned in Reims and reflects the national sentiments toward Joan of Arc at that time and is well worth reading to better understand the huge impact that this event had upon the people of France. An English translation is available online at MaidOfHeaven.com at
The Song of Joan of Arc by Christine de Pisan

You can also learn more about the coronation and the city of Reims by visiting this page at MaidOfHeaven.comt:
Joan of Arc & Reims

Anniversary of Joan's Great Victory at Patay

Today is the anniversary of Joan's great victory at the Battle of Patay, which was the most overwhelming victory that she achieved in her brilliant military career. After the battle of Orleans the English military leaders were concerned but still confident they could defeat the French when they engaged in combat. After the overwhelming victory by Joan of Arc at Patay the English leaders realized they were in serious trouble and that Joan was a real military commander to be feared. While this was indeed Joan’s most overwhelming victory where she annihilated an English army of a least six thousand while losing only a handful of men I have never felt that she receives proper credit for this great victory by the French by most modern historians. I wrote a good article a few years back about Joan of Arc and the Battle of Patay that relies heavily upon the words of the people present and clearly shows just how much Joan was responsible for the victory at Patay. Please read it and decide for yourself exactly how much credit Joan deserves: 

Joan of Arc & the Battle of Patay

Memorial Day for Joan of Arc: Joan’s Feast Day & Death Anniversary

May 30^th is the anniversary of Joan of Arc’s death and is also her Feast Day which is a chance to honor and remember her in a similar way as we do other soldiers on Memorial Day Weekend.  It always gives me pause to remember that Joan’s final recorded words were “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” which to me was her final exclamation point as to the true focus of her life.  Saint Joan of Arc loved God more than anything else which is what made her such a “brilliantly shining light” in this dark world.  Even in the final and darkest moments of  Joan’s life her light shone brightly which impressed even her enemies to the point that several made professions of faith as later described by one of the men participating in Joan’s execution:  “The judges who were present, and even several of the English[Joan’s enemies], were moved by this to great tears and weeping, and indeed several of these same English, recognized God's hand and made professions of faith when they saw her make so remarkable an end. “(you can read several touching eyewitness accounts of Joan’s death on the page devoted to Joan of Arc’s Feast Day)

This year on Joan’s Feast Day, which is taking place during the 600^th anniversary year of her birth, let us all learn from Joan to have the same ultimate focus:  Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

Joan's Victory at Orleans

On Sunday May 8, 1429, Saint Joan of Arc achieved complete victory at Orleans and fulfilled the promise she had made only few months earlier to liberate the city.  On the morning of May 8th following the previous day's spectacular storming and taking of the fort Les Tourelles by the French, the English defenders remaining around Orleans left their siege positions and assembled in order of battle in an open field near the city.  The French forces came out of Orleans to oppose the English and for an hour the two armies faced each other.  During this time Joan called for mass to be held.  A citizen of Orleans, Jean de Champeaux, later testified as to what happened next:  "The masses completed, Joan said to look and see whether the English were facing them.   'No, the English are turned towards Meung' someone replied.  'In God's name,' Joan replied, 'They are going. Let them go, while we go give thanks to God and pursue them no farther, since today is Sunday."  And thus total victory was achieved at Orleans as the English retreated away from Orleans.  Joan and her army returned to Orleans and celebrated with the citizens of Orleans, a celebration that is renewed every year on May 8th in honor of the "Maid of Orleans."

Video of Annual Celebration in Orleans honoring St. Joan

Visit Orleans Fete Jeanne Darc for more info about this year's celebrations.

Joan's Longest Day!

"The next day May 7, 1429 would be long 

and hard, but would end with spectacular success.

You asked Father Pasquerel to always stay near 

your side, so he could aid you in your distress.

'Tomorrow blood will flow from my body, above 

the breast,' to the father you had to confess."

 from Maid of Heaven

On May 7 in 1429 at Orleans St. Joan of Arc led her forces against the seemingly impregnable fortress Les Tourelles. During the course of the fighting Joan was severely wounded when an arrow pierced her body just above her breast. Without Joan to lead them the soldiers and their commanders quickly lost their resolve fearing the worst without Joan and the assault on Les Tourelles appeared as if it would end in failure. Then the miraculous occurred when Joan re-appeared on the battlefield and seized her banner and lead the French army forward to make another assault upon Les Tourelles. Jean d'Aulon, who was the head of Joan's military household, later recalled the amazing turn of events: ". . . the lords and the captains who were with her, seeing that they could not well gain it this day, considering how late it was and also that they were all very tired and worn out, agreed among them to sound the retreat for the army. This was done, and, at the sound of the trumpet call, each one retreated for the day. During this retreat, [d'Aulon] who had been carrying the standard of the Pucelle and still holding it upright in front of the boulevard was fatigued and worn-out, and gave the standard to one named Le Basque, who was with the Lord of Villars. And because [d'Aulon] knew Le Basque to be a brave man, and he feared that harm would come from the retreat, and that the fortress and the Boulevard would remain in the hands of the enemy, he had the idea that if the standard were pushed ahead, due to the great affection in which it was held by the soldiers, they could by this means win the boulevard. And then [d'Aulon] asked Le Basque if he would follow him when he entered and went to the foot of the boulevard; he said and swore he would this. And then [d'Aulon] entered the ditch and went up to the base of the side of the Boulevard, covering himself with a shield for fear the stones, and left his companion on the other side, believing that he would follow him step-by-step. But when the Pucelle saw her standard in the hand of Le Basque, because she believed that she had lost it, as [d'Aulon] who had been carrying it had gone into the trench, she came and took the standard by the end in such a way that he had to let it go, crying, "Ha! My standard! My standard!" And she shook the standard in such a way that the one who is testifying imagined that others might think that she was making a sign to the others by doing this. And then he who was speaking cried: "Ha, Basque! Is this what you promised me?" And then Le Basque tugged at the standard that he dragged it from the hand of the Pucelle, and after this, he went to [d'Aulon] and brought the standard. Because of these things, all those in the army of the Pucelle gathered together and rallied again, assailed this boulevard in such great fierceness that, a short time afterwards, the boulevard and the fortress were taken by them, and abandoned by the enemy, and the French entered the city of Orleans by the bridge . . ."
This was indeed Joan of Arc's Longest Day!