St Joan of Arc – 30th May

St. Joan of Arc, byname the Maid of Orléans, French Sainte Jeanne d’Arc or La Pucelle d’Orléans, (born c. 1412, Domrémy, Bar, France—died May 30, 1431, Rouen; canonized May 16, 1920; feast day May 30), national heroine of France, a peasant girl who, believing that she was acting under divine guidance, led the French army in a momentous victory at Orléans that repulsed an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years’ War. Captured a year afterward, Joan was burned to death by the English and their French collaborators as a heretic. She became the greatest national heroine of her compatriots, and her achievement was a decisive factor in the later awakening of French national consciousness.

Joan was endowed with remarkable mental and physical courage, as well as a robust common sense, and she possessed many attributes characteristic of the female visionaries who were a noted feature of her time. These qualities included extreme personal piety, a claim to direct communication with the saints, and a consequent reliance upon individual experience of God’s presence beyond the ministrations of the priesthood and the confines of the institutional church.

Prayer to St. Joan of Arc

O Joan, holy liberator of France, the powerful holy force in the days of old, as you yourself said, “Peace would be found only at the point of a lance,” who used the weapons of war when no other means were able to obtain a just Peace, take care and help today those who do not want to do violence and patiently try to employ all possible peaceful means of resolution, but now allow the violence of war.

Return, O great hearted Daughter of God, and wage war against the enemies of the people of France and the people of England, with whom you yourself wished an alliance for the good of humanity. Both nations are now raised for the defense of what you would have defended: Justice between nations! Both peoples wish to crush the rebirth of barbarism as they raise this cry which is yours: Christianity must continue!

Heroine of Orleans, transmit to our leaders, your talent to inspire your soldiers to accomplish great deeds of valor, in order that our soldiers’ efforts will come to a rapid and successful end.

Triumphant One of Reims, prepare for us the just peace under the shield of a force that will be henceforth vigilant!

Martyr of Rouen, be near to all the soldiers who fall in battle, in order to support, console, and help them and those dear ones that they leave behind.

Saint of the Country, excite in all souls, in every home of the world, the zeal to contribute to the salvation of the world and the return of peace, works which you crave, the rediscovery of a more Christian life, through holy thoughts and actions, forgiveness and persistent prayer, that as you yourself once said, “God must be served first.”

Amen

Prayer to Saint Joan of Arc

Most extraordinary soldier, you insistently proclaim “Let God be served first!” You began by winning many victories and received the plaudits of princes, but then you were given to the enemy and cruelty put to death. Instil in us the desire to serve God first and perform out earthly tasks with that idea ever in our minds. Amen.

Prayer for the Intercession of St. Joan of Arc

Dear Sweet Patron Saint, I implore you in the name of God to intercede on my behalf and guide me. Help me to be strong when people are against me and question my belief in God. Help me to stand by my faith and my decisions concerning my faith. I wish to do only God’s will, and I beg of you, O Patron Saint, to help keep me on His true path, and guide me in His will. I need friends now, more than ever before, and I choose God as my first and foremost best friend, above all others. But I also choose you as a

close and special friend to relate to and to talk to. Please counsel me by any means necessary that is in the will of God to do.

Please let me have the wisdom and understanding to receive his message and the patience and virtue to listen so that I may understand his word. Amen.

Prayer of Thanks and Gratitude to St. Jehanne Darc

Dear Patron Saint, Thank you for accompanying me throughout the day, and in the work that I did. Thank you also for your guidance and your counsel. Please help me to listen to God and to you, dear Saint, that I may do what I am called to do. Please intercede on my behalf and beg God to take all my faults and turn them into virtues. I thank you for all you have done for me, and all the things you have interceded for, on my behalf. Please continue to pray for me and for all the souls who need it.

Prayer for the Intercession of St. Joan of Arc

O Lord, you wondrously raised up Joan, your virgin, to defend the Faith and her country in Your name. Through her intercession grant that the Church may overcome the snares of her enemies, and attain lasting peace.

Amen

PRAYER TO SAINT JOAN OF ARC FOR HEALING

Holy Saint Joan, compassionate to the sick and wounded, who, while on earth, nursed so many back to health, hear me.

You who wished to see no one injured or in discomfort, pray for me and guide me through this difficult time.

Daughter of God, wounded many times in battle, I petition you for healing: (Share your request…) so that I may be better able to serve God in whatever capacity He wishes. Intercede for me.

It may not be in God’s will for my body to be healed, for my sufferings may help another or my own soul. If my request is not granted, help me to remain strong, and instead be healed emotionally and spiritually.

Amen.

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

God, Who has given to Joan of Domremy to be valiant in the humble work of the house and the fields and generously faithful to all Your calls.

Grant to us, by her intercession, to accomplish with faith all the works of our lives and to serve You courageously in our labors on the land, that we may earn a place with Joan and all the saints of France, in the Kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

PRAYER TO ST. JOAN OF ARC

St. Joan, always devout and pure, help me to be like you, to follow Our Lord’s will, though sometimes difficult and unclear. I pray you to lend me your immense courage, a courage bestowed upon you by the Savior, in His merciful love, that you might accomplish His will. St. Joan, shepherdess and leader of armies, lend me your great gift of courage that I might do Our Lord’s Will as you have done it, no matter how difficult it may appear.

PRAYER TO ST. JOAN OF ARC

Dear and Glorious St. Joan of Arc, my special patroness, friend and sister in Christ. I come before you this day to thank you for the graces you have obtained for me and my family and to ask your continued intercession with Our Lady to Jesus for us. Help me to fight the battles God sends me

daily with the same courage and dedication you had. My battles may be smaller and different than the ones you were called to but I need the grace to surrender my will to God’s daily. As you wore a physical armor, help me to put on the spiritual armor that St. Paul call us to wear in order to stay in the state of grace always. Be with me at my last hour so that my entry into eternity will be with faith in the divine Mercy of God no matter what form of death He wills for me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on Jesus and Him Crucified and Mary Immaculate. Grant me the signal grace I need at that hour and grant me the honor and privilege to stand next to you in the heavenly court with my family, St Joseph and all the saints and angels as we surround the thrones of Jesus and Mary through all eternity and worship the most Holy and Triune God.

St. Joan, virgin and martyr, pray for me.

Amen

A PRAYER TO SAINT JOAN OF ARC

Dear Saint Joan: I humbly ask you to help me to live as God wants me to. I would be happy if I had only a fraction of the love and kindness you had for your enemies as well as your friends. But most of all, I implore you to help me to obtain from God a spark of your great and endless love and faith so that I may truly love, serve and obey Him with my whole heart as you did to the very end of your holy life. May you always protect me and help me to stay pure in mind, body and spirit forever and ever.

Amen.

A PRAYER COMPOSED BY THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOAN OF ARC

O Saint Joan of Arc, courageous woman soldier, called by God to fight and save your country from the enemy; grant that I, like you, may hear God’s call in my life and have the courage to follow it faithfully, as priest, religious, married or single.

May your motto: ‘My God must be first served,’ be mine also; so that through me, He may build His kingdom here on earth.

Intercede to the Master of the harvest, that He may send laborers into His harvest.

Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us.

Amen.

Prayer To St. Joan of Arc

Oh, St. Joan of Arc, a little shepherdess, who later was to be called ‘the Maid who would come to help the King of France’ and boldly lead the men-at-arms in freeing Orleans from the English, I ask of you to intercede for me through Jesus Christ Our Lord, with the fervor and faithfulness you had when trying to accomplish the mission God, Our Heavenly Father had set before you, through the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret.

When on trial and asked, ‘Do you believe you are in a state of grace?’ You replied, ‘If I am not, may God put me in it; and if I am, God keep me in it.’

St. Joan of Arc, Patroness of France pray for me.

PRAYER TO ST. JOAN OF ARC

Dear St. Joan: Virgin, Warrior and Martyr. You who heard the voice of God so clearly and responded with your Yes! You who diligently fought to prevent satan from separating France. Help me to hear the Voice of God as clearly as you did and help me to respond to Him with my Yes. I also ask you stop satan from trying to separate me from God. I want so dearly to worship The Holy Trinity with Mary and you and all the Saints, for all eternity! I make this request in the Most Holy Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Amen.

A Soldiers Prayer to St. Joan

St. Joan of Arc, humble maiden of France, your heavenly Father miraculously endowed you with every military skill and knowledge, and raised you up as the Commander of the armies of France for the blessing of His Church, the protection of His people, and the glory of His Holy Name. By your merits and prayers may God also endow all military men and women with every military skill and knowledge necessary for his station of duty. May his mission always be righteous, and his actions always be courageous, compassionate, and just. And just as you showed your ardent love for Jesus in offering up your life for Him, so may they fulfill all that their duty requires.

St. Joan of Arc pray for us that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.

St. Joan of Arc, Pray For Us

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us that we, like you, may receive the merciful gift of courage from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to learn and do His will. St. Joan, pray for us that we, like you, may remain pure and steadfast in the face of all the temptations that we must endure in everyday life. St. Joan, pray for us that we, like you, may never lose sight of God’s will, though we are persecuted and castigated by the world. And, finally, St. Joan, shepherdess, liberator and martyr, pray that we, also like you, may never lose our humanity and sense of humor in pursing Our Lord’s will.

THE LITANY OF SAINT JOAN OF ARC

Lord, have mercy on us!
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us!
Jesus Christ, hear us!
Jesus Christ, graciously hear us!
Our Heavenly Father, Who is God, have mercy on us!
Son, Savior of the world, Who is God, have mercy on us!
Holy Spirit, Who is God, have mercy on us!
Holy Trinity, Who is God, have mercy on us!
Holy Mary, virgin mother of God, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Assumption, principal patron of France, pray for us.
Saint Michael the Archangel, patron and special protector of France, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, pray for us.
Saint Margaret of Antioch, virgin and martyr, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, chosen by God at Domremy, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, informed [of her mission] by Saint Michael, the Archangel and his angels, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, compliant to the call of God, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, confidant [in] and submissive to her voices, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of family life and labor, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, faithfully devoted to Our Lady, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, who delighted in the Holy Eucharist, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of generosity in the service to God, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, example of faithfulness to the Divine vocation, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of union with God in action, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, virgin and soldier, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of courage and purity in the field [of battle], pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, compassionate towards all who suffer, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, the pride of Orleans, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, glory of Reims, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, liberator of the Country, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, abandoned and imprisoned at Compiegne, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, pure and patient in your prison, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, heroic and valiant before your judges, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, alone with God at the hour of torment, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, martyr of Rouen, pray for us.
Saint Joan or Arc and Saint Therese of Lisieux patronesses of France, pray for us.
All the Saints of France, intercede for us.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, Lord.
Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us, that we may become worthy of the promises of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

Oh God, Who has raised up in an admirable manner, the virgin of Domremy, Saint Joan of Arc, for the defense of the faith and [our] country. By her intercession, we ask You that the Church [may] triumph against the assaults of her enemies and rejoice in lasting peace; through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen.