Sweet Solitude

By Edmund Blair Leighton

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.” Pride and Prejudice

Happy Feast of St. Joan of Arc!

Quote from St. Joan

The Maid of Lorraine

St. Joan of Arc was in the news rather recently. Her ring, given to her by her parents, had been in England since her death, and this year, after 600 years, it has been returned to France. This is hugely meaningful, since this martyr was burned at the stake, so we have no first class relics of her. I’ve seen the 1948 movie about St. Joan with Ingrid Bergman a number of times, (and by the way, it’s a very accurate portrayal of her life) but I never fully appreciated quite how incredible this Saint was. She was an illiterate peasant girl, and yet led the armies of France to victory where experienced generals had failed, and finally she was burned as a heretic because she refused to deny what she knew to be true. The facts of her story are fascinating, and we have so much detail from her own lips, recorded in the complete transcripts from her trial. It gives an incredible insight into her as a person, and as a Saint.

Inspiration from St. Joan

St. Joan of Arc

By Albert Lynch.

Getting ready for a post about St. Joan on Thursday, in honor of her feast day, which is on Monday, May 30.

A Prayer to St. Joseph to Know One's Vocation in Life

O great St. Joseph, so docile to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, obtain for me the grace to know what state of life Divine Providence destines for me.  Do not allow me to be deceived with regard to so important a choice, upon which depends my happiness in this world, and even my eternal salvation.  Obtain for me that, being enlightened to know the Divine Will and being faithful in accomplishing it, I may embrace that state of live which God has destined for me and which will lead me to a happy eternity. Amen.