St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church at 13485 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill, FL 34609 US - History St. Joan of Arc

SAINT JOAN OF ARC (1412-1431) Joan of Arc did not start out to be a soldier. A simple shepherd girl, she was born on January 6, 1412 in France. She was only thirteen years of age when she experienced the first of her visions. She described it as a voice accompanied by a blaze of light. As time went by, she identified the voices she heard as those of St. Michael, St. Catherine, St. Margaret, and others, whom she claimed revealed to her that her mission in life was to save France by aiding the King. The French Commander laughed at her, but his skepticism was overcome when her prophecies began to come true especially when the French were defeated in the battle of Orleans. The commander sent her to Dauphin, the son of King Charles VI, as he had been kept from the throne by the British and the Hundred Years War. After examinations by many theologians, she was cleared of all suspicion of heresy by the Church, and allowed to lead an expeditionary force to relieve besieged Orleans, and wearing a suit of white armor, she led her forces to victory over the British. A greater victory was accomplished a short time later, and the capture of Troy followed. Finally, on July 17 1429, Charles was crowned King Charles VII at Rheims, with Joan at his side. She failed in an attempt to capture Paris and in the spring of 1430, she set out on a new campaign. She was captured by the British in November and was charged by them of heresy and witchcraft and her visions declared to be of a diabolical origin. She was burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431. A court appointed by Pope Callistus III, found her innocent in 1456 and she was canonized in 1920. St. Joan of Arc is the second patron saint of France and is known as the Maid of Orleans.

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