This article refers to the canonization process for Joan of Arc, and to her as a Catholic saint. For her as a historical figure, see Joan of Arc Canonization is the process of declaring someone a saint and involves proving that a candidate has lived in such a way that he or she qualifies for this. ... Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne dArc[1] or Jeanne la Pucelle (6 January 1412 – 30 May 1431),[2] is a national heroine of France and a saint of the Catholic Church. ... Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne dArc[1] or Jeanne la Pucelle (6 January 1412 – 30 May 1431),[2] is a national heroine of France and a saint of the Catholic Church. ...

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) is a recognized Saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

Saint Joan of Arc
St. Joan of Arc at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Born	6 January, 1412, Domrémy (later renamed Domrémy-la-Pucelle) , France
Died	30 May 1431, Rouen, France
Canonized by	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	April 18, 1909 by Pope Pius X
Canonized	May 16, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV
Feast-day	May 30
Patronage	captives; France; martyrs; opponents of Church authorities; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; rape victims; soldiers; Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service; Women's Army Corps
In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even in your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen. Prayer to Joan of Arc for Faith Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 721 KB)Statue of Joan of Arc in Notre Dame de Paris cathedral interior, Paris, taken spring 2001. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Catholicism. ... In Catholicism, beatification (from Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Pope Pius X (1903-1914), pictured in 1904, wearing the 1834 Triple Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI Saint Pius X, né Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, (2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII. He was the first pope since the Counter-Reformation Pope... This article discusses the process of declaring saints. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Pope Benedict XV Benedict XV, né Giacomo della Chiesa (November 21, 1854-January 22, 1922), was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1914 to 1922; he succeeded Pope Saint Pius X. He was born in Genoa, Italy, of a noble family. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... In several forms of the church of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ...

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Course to sainthood

Death and 15th century

As with other saints who were excommunicated or investigated by ecclesiastic courts, such as St. Athanasius, St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, etc, St. Joan of Arc was put on trial by an Inquisitorial court controlled by the English government in occupied northern France, leading to her execution at Rouen. When the French regained Rouen in 1449, a series of investigations were launched which led to a formal appeal run by the Inquisitor-General in 1455. She was declared innocent on July 7, 1456. The Inquisitor's summary of evidence for the case describes her as a martyr who had been executed by a court which was itself in violation of the Church's rules.

She had always been considered innocent by those of her own faction. The city of Orleans commemorated her death each year beginning in 1432, and from 1435 onward performed a religious play centered around her victories. The play represented her as a Divinely-sent savior guided by angels.

In 1452, during one of the postwar investigations into her execution, Cardinal d'Estouteville declared that this religious play would merit qualification as a pilgrimage site by which attendees could gain an indulgence from sin. A pilgrimage is a term primarily used in religion and spirituality of a long journey or search of great moral significance. ... In Roman Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to God for sin. ...

Not long after the appeal, Pope Pius II wrote an approving piece about her in his Memoirs.

16th century

During the 16th century, Joan of Arc was utilized as a symbol of the Catholic League, a group organized to fight against Protestantism during the Wars of Religion of that era. [[The French Catholic League was created by [[Henry of Guise]], in [[1576]] during the [[French Wars of Religion]]. [[Pope Sixtus V]], the [[Jesuits]], [[Catherine de Medici]], and [[Philip II of Spain]] were all members of this intransigent ultra-Catholic party, bent upon extirpating the Protestant [[heresy]] in France once and...

19th century to present

Paradoxically, it was the publication of works by secular historians in the mid-19th century which seems to have sparked widespread public efforts to ask the Church to officially canonize her. Félix Dupanloup (Bishop of Orléans from 1849 to 1878), led the efforts which culminated in Joan of Arc's beatification in 1909. During the subsequent fighting in France in World War I, Allied troops carried her image into battle with them. During one battle, French troops interpreted a German searchlight image projected onto low-lying clouds as an appearance by Joan, which greatly bolstered their morale. Her canonization came on 16 May 1920. In Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... Canonization is the process of declaring someone a saint and involves proving that a candidate has lived in such a way that he or she qualifies for this. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

Popularity

The St. Joan of Arc Chapel at the Marquette University campus, a chapel moved from its original location in France.

Her feast day is 30 May. Although changes to the Church-wide calendar in 1968 moved many medieval European saints' days off the general calendar in order to make room for more non-Europeans, her feast day is still celebrated on many local and regional Church calendars, especially in France. Many Catholic churches around the globe have been named after her in the decades since her canonization. © 2003 Mary Ann Sullivan, Permission granted by photographer. ... © 2003 Mary Ann Sullivan, Permission granted by photographer. ... St. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ...

She has become especially popular among Traditional Catholics, particularly in France - both because of her obvious connection to this country as well as the fact that the Traditional Catholic movement is strongest in France. This branch of Catholicism, which has refused to accept the changes made by the Vatican II conference, has compared the 1988 excommunication of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (one of the founders of the Traditional Catholic movement) to Joan of Arc's excommunication by a corrupt pro-English Bishop in 1431. Traditional Catholic parishes sometimes perform plays in Joan of Arc's honor. Traditionalist Catholic and Traditional Catholic are broad terms used to denote Roman Catholics who reject some or all of the reforms that were instituted after the Second Vatican Council, in particular the revised rite of Mass, which was promulgated in 1969 by Pope Paul VI as part of the process... His Excellency Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the priestly Society of Saint Pius X. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (November 29, 1905–March 25, 1991) was a leading Catholic who opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), especially condemning ecumenism, collegiality, the revision of the then existing Roman Missal...

See also

• Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne dArc[1] or Jeanne la Pucelle (6 January 1412 – 30 May 1431),[2] is a national heroine of France and a saint of the Catholic Church. ...

External Links

• Catholic Encyclopedia entry for St. Joan of Arc.
• Joan of Arc Archive by Allen Williamson.
• JoanNet by Patrick Price.