St. Joan of Arc
Feast Day: May 30
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, England and France fought one another. Historians call this, the Hundred Years’ War. It lasted on and off from 1337 to 1453. English soldiers fought the war mainly in France.
The French peasants suffered greatly in this war. English soldiers burned farms and killed farmers. So many people died of famine. Then the plague came and more people died. Things were going from bad to worse for the French when a young peasant girl stepped forward.
Joan of Arc was born in Domremy, France, in 1412. Her parents were simple farmers. Their daughter was pious, believing in God’s presence all around her. When she was thirteen, Joan began to hear the voices of Saints Michael, Catherine, and Margaret. They spoke from a blaze of light. The three saints encouraged Joan to help her suffering people.
When Joan was seventeen, she convinced the dauphin, or prince, of France to let her lead his army. Clothed in a suit of white armor and carrying a banner emblazoned with the words Jesus, Maria, Joan stepped onto the battlefield. Her soldiers soon defeated the English at Orleans. Other victories followed.
Then the English captured Joan and put her on trial, charging her with heresy and witchcraft. Finding her guilty, they burned Joan at the stake on May 30, 1431. She was only nineteen years old. Twenty-five years later, another court found her innocent. In 1920, the Church canonized Joan. She is now a patron saint of France.
Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Grade 4, chapter 21
Junior High, Jesus in the New Testament, chapter 12