Who was Saint Joan of Arc?
Joan grew up in Domrémy, a little village in France, around 1412. She spun wool, looked after the animals and loved to pray in the village church. When she was about thirteen, she said she heard the voices of Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, asking her to love God and, later, to help her country.
France was at war, and its king, Charles, had not yet been crowned. Joan traveled a long way to meet him and asked to help. She rode out in armor with a white banner bearing the names of Jesus and Mary, and she said she loved her banner far more than her sword. In 1429 the city of Orléans was set free, and Joan stood beside Charles when he was crowned in the cathedral of Reims.
Later, her enemies captured her and put her on trial, and the trial was not fair. Joan stayed brave and kept trusting God, and in 1431 she died holding a little cross and saying the name of Jesus. In 1456 another trial declared her innocent, and today she is a patron of France.
When is Saint Joan of Arc’s feast day?
Saint Joan of Arc’s feast day is May 30. It’s the day she died in Rouen, in 1431, when she was about nineteen.
Clara tells the whole story at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →
