Well, my story happens to be about my dear little Saint Jehanne. I pray to her a lot, because I feel we have a lot in common, and I connect with her well.
Because of Jehanne, I now wish to travel overseas to France, do volunteer work, and even go on the ‘Joan of Arc campaign trail’, starting in Domrémy and ending up in Rouen. (With a stop over in Orléans for the festival, of course!) I’d love to do that on horseback too. Just a sort of backpacker thing. So, naturally, I decided to take a French class, because I don’t think yelling “Bonjour! Croissant!” would have gotten me very far. (Maybe fed, though.)
It has given me a new love for the French, and ironically, the woman teaching it has “Darc” in her family line somewhere and may even be related to Jehanne.
In the first class, we learned from 1-100 straight away, which was terrible for us newbies because of the crazy numbering system. But I prayed to Jehanne for help that night, and when I woke up in the morning, I was rattling the numbers off really easily. Rather handy having a French saint to help you out. =D
Continuing on with my classes, I had the second one just this Monday, and it was far crazier than the last one because our teacher was spending most of the lesson talking in French and we had no idea what she was saying. She was explaining the dates, telephone numbers, and how the French swap their commas and periods around.
(When I got home that night, I switched on the tv and found a little synchronicity. Because I flicked on the tv and watched this show called Sea Patrol. And on it, a sailor had stolen the French flag.)
And because of my classes, I naturally wanted to watch the French news. The thing is, it’s on at 9:15am, And I’m never up in time to see it. So I asked God once or twice with no luck to wake me up in time to see it, given that I have this horrible habit of waking up in time and then going back to sleep.
But the morning after the class, I got woken up by a nice surprise. Saint Jehanne herself had popped up up in the hands of some couriers - I’d bought this beautiful 23" statue of her off ebay. And she’d arrived early enough for me to have time to open the box up, put her together, and then watch the news. Where I got to put what I’d learned into effect. With the dates, numbers, and the whole switch of commas and periods.
Either that, or the French are struggling. The price of eggs has gone up fourteen thousand percent.
Now I’ve got my beautiful little life-size Jehanne (j/k!) sitting between my bed and the computer. And my rosary necklace is wrapped around her, with her outstretched hand holding the centre, so that the crucific is dangling down. It looks like it’s part of the statue.
I absolutely love it. Even though her eyes are staring off into the distance, I feel like she’s constantly there watching over me. And when I get that feeling, it’s usually because I haven’t been praying.
So it’s like “I am now Saint Creepy Stalker. Start praying, or I’m going to make you feel very uncomfortable by letting you know that I’m watching every time you even think about doing something wrong.”
And then when I do pray, that feeling goes away. Of course, then I get paranoid and start eyeballing the statue, wondering when the next round of Watcher begins. At the same time, it’s a calming reminder of Jehanne’s presence and influence in my life; I can just look over to her when I’m feeling angry or whatever, and it helps me to think about what she’d do in the same situation, and what she thinks would be best for me to do.
So I thank her for that.
Which reminds me. I need to rewrite these two really beautiful prayers to Jehanne by Andrea Rau that I found so that they are more personal. I’ll need them one day, and I’ll share these ones by Andrea with you all in case you ever want to use them.
Prayer for the Intercession of St. Jehanne Darc
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.
St. Jehanne, Pray for us.
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.
St. Joan of Arc, Pray for us.
Amen.
and she roped me in… using the Brown Scapular. My return to the Church, was through her intercession. It was completely unexpected… and 100% unsolicited (I hadn’t been praying for a return, or a conversion or anything!). It was like a lightning bolt and in my opinion, miraculous.
I thank Our Lady for Elise’s health and for my sanity (usually I’m a huge worrywart but this pregnancy has been pretty not worrisome for me, I was anticipating the opposite with it being so soon after the miscarriage). Speaking of which, today is the 5th month-a-versary of losing our first little one.
No goody two shoes here!!!
lol). What is dobbing? btw, I’m glad you didn’t… whatever it is! 