Among St. Joan of Arc’s most often quoted words are, “I am not afraid.  I was born to do this!”  Indeed, this summarizes the brave young woman’s "fiat" in response to the divine call she received at the age of 13.  Many of the greatest and most beloved saints were poor, uneducated, and simple.  Joan was no different.  Her simple piety allowed her to clearly see and hear God’s mission for her life, which was presented to her by three heavenly saints along with encouragement, instruction, and prayer until her martyrdom at age 19.  We, too, may be strengthened in our resolve to follow God’s call – wherever it may lead us – by reminding ourselves of Joan's motto: “I am not afraid.  I was born to do this!”

Early Life

Joan was born in 1412 to a peasant couple in northeast France (Domremy) during the height of the Hundred Years’ War.  Her family lived on a vast 50 acre farm, which Joan and her siblings tended as aides to their parents.  Though Joan was poor and illiterate, she was very holy, even from a young age.  Her heart was burdened by the English seeking to conquer France, and this led her to intense prayer as she wandered the farmland, tending sheep and seeking solitude and solace.

When she shared her longing for the Dauphin to regain his rightful place on the throne of France, her friends and siblings typically brushed her off as being a silly dreamer.  But her heart persisted in this sense of justice, influencing her prayers to God.  Before her official “call” that followed specific visions, she had a sense that she was going to somehow participate in whatever was to come regarding the defeat of the English and victory of France.

Mystical Experiences

When Joan was about 13 years old, she began receiving visions of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St. Margaret the Virgin.  This occurred during her musings and meditations in her father’s garden on the farmland property.  This series of visions included both visual and auditory experiences, in which she saw the saintly figures and also heard them speak to her.  Their message was clear: She was to lead the French army to drive out the English from their country and bring the crown to the Dauphin.

Undaunted, she traveled almost immediately to visit the garrison commander, Robert de Baudricort in Vaucouleurs, requesting that she reach the French Royal Court.  As one might suspect, her request was met with dismissal and mockery.  Still, she persisted several months later, returning to convince two of Baudricort’s soldiers to allow access to the French Royal Court.  During her second meeting with Baudricort, she revealed her knowledge of the military reversal of the Battle of Rouvray before it happened.  This was enough to convince the garrison commander that she was, in fact, receiving divine revelations, and he finally took her seriously enough to lead her to Chinon and face the French Royal Court.

Military Experience

Joan, of course, was a young girl with no military experience whatsoever when she faced Charles VII at the Royal Court.  Because of the dangers posed to her as a female, her soldier escorts helped her disguise herself in male clothing ahead of time.  Once she arrived, she became privy to a conversation between Charles VII and his mother-in-law regarding a relief expedition they intended to finance in Orleans.  Joan was granted permission to join the troops in this endeavor.

Perhaps because France as a nation was in such tumult and near despair, the military commanders saw great hope in listening to Joan.  They felt they had nothing to lose.  Her wisdom about military strategies was unparalleled, and her predictions about Orleans indeed came to pass.  A miraculous defeat of the English occurred there, despite the pervasive dread of defeat.  All the while, her saintly companions were directing her on how to accomplish this task.  From that point on, France began to see a shift in the sieges and battles they faced, and hope resumed among the peoples who lived there.

Even so, suspicions about Joan’s spiritual knowledge stirred during this time.  Some speculated that she was a sorceress or witch and that her divine knowledge was obtained from demonic, rather than saintly, sources.  This was a foreshadowing of what Joan would endure during her trial and eventual martyrdom.

Capture and Execution

Joan was a fiercely zealous young lady, which was evident in her letters to the English troops.  She openly admonished them for their heretical ways and pleaded – sometimes demanded – that they renounce these heresies and return to the fullness of the Catholic Church.  Her letters were unanswered, yet they were the source of the case against her.

While in Compiegne, following a truce between the French and English armies, Joan was pulled off of her horse by an archer.  She surrendered to him and was imprisoned by the Burgundians at the Beaurevoir Castle.  The English negotiated with the Burgundians to have Joan released to them, which led her to be judged by Bishop Pierre Cauchon, an English partisan.  Though her rescue was attempted several times before her trial, they were all to no avail.

Joan was interrogated in her cell before the official trial began.  She faced terrible spiritual and emotional torments there, even the temptation to flee her inevitable martyrdom.  Using her letters against her, the English tried her for heresy and treason.  She unfortunately did not receive a fair trial, as all of the clerics and judges were English and Burgundian – none were French.

In addition to the capital crime of heresy, Joan was charged with cross-dressing as an offense.  Though it was necessary for her to conceal her identity as a woman by wearing the male military uniform, she was nonetheless humiliated with this charge against her, as well.  When she was convicted of both crimes and sentenced to execution, many witnesses claimed that the entire process was grossly unfair.

Joan was burned at the stake in 1431 at the age of nineteen.  While tied to the pole, Joan requested to see a crucifix in order to grant her strength and courage in knowing she was dying for the Lord.  An English soldier had pity on her and constructed a crude wooden cross for her to gaze upon as she burned alive.

Canonization and Devotion to Joan of Arc

Despite the many controversies surrounding Joan’s credibility, source of divine information, and role in the French army, many saints who studied her life found her to be a pure soul, full of humility and charity.  Even St. Thomas Aquinas defended her cross-dressing as being necessary, given the circumstances she was required to carry out by God.  Twenty-two years after she died, the Hundred Years War finally ended, and a retrial was opened to investigate whether or not Joan received a fair trial in the first place.

After a panel of theologians thoroughly researched her trial, they all found her to be innocent and considered her a bona fide martyr.  This nullified the original trial that condemned her as a heretic and opened the cause for canonization to occur on her behalf.

She wasn’t officially canonized until 1920 by Pope Pius X, but for centuries she had already been a French icon and inspiration to many.  In the twentieth century, original documents from Joan’s trial were discovered, which confirmed the belief that she was unjustly condemned and executed.

St. Joan of Arc remains a courageous model for many women of bravery in the face of many dangers, even death.  Today she is the patron saint of France, martyrs, captives, military personnel, prisoners, soldiers, those ridiculed for their piety, and the Women’s Army Corps. St. Joan of Arc, pray for us!

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