Joan of Arc: God's Warrior: a Seven-Day Retreat [Paperback]

Barbara Beckwith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2007

Joan of Arc continues to fascinate us. She is a bundle of contradictions: simple yet sublime...a mystic whose earthy response to her visions was to inspire an army...a glorious military hero who ended up a failure, betrayed by her friends and burned at the stake by her enemies. Was she inspired? Was she mentally ill? Why did she do what she did? How did she find the courage? In the end, what did she accomplish? And what does a nineteen-year-old from the fifteenth century have to teach us?
From the Introduction



If we think of saints as quiet, contemplative types who seek to retire from the world, Joan of Arc shatters our misconceptions. A woman undeterred by criticisms of her youth, her sex and her sanity, she single-handedly changed the course of Western history. She is an inspiration to those who struggle to find, and follow, the will of God in the world.



Let Joan of Arc provide inspiration for your next armchair retreat or small group discussion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

BARBARA BECKWITH, managing editor of St. Anthony Messenger magazine, earned a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University, whose centerpiece is the St. Joan of Arc Chapel. Vice president of the International Catholic Union of the Press, Beckwith, whose middle name is Jean, considers Joan of Arc her patron saint.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press (September 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867165707
• ISBN-13: 978-0867165708
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,304,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marching to Her Own Drummer, January 5, 2008

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Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Joan of Arc: God's Warrior: a Seven-Day Retreat (Paperback)

Barbara Beckwith, whose middle name is Jean, considers Joan of Arc a "soul sister as a feminist and independent woman who marched to her own drummer." As a fifth grader, she dressed as St. Joan for the school Halloween party, and as a university student in Wisconsin, she prayed frequently at St. Joan of Arc Chapel.

The seven retreat sessions, each including opening and closing prayer and discussion questions, tell the story of Joan's role in defeating the British and restoring the French to power in the person of King Charles VII. While the political scene is key to Joan's story, this book is more interested in her spiritual life than her military prowess. Beckwith addresses speculation about Joan's mental stability, with footnotes from sources disclaiming the notions that Joan suffered from epilepsy, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. Considering charges that Joan was masculine, Beckwith brings up Carl Jung's theory on the "warrior archetype." The psychiatrist found that the warrior comes out when a person fights to protect others and opposes injustice, an archetype that was earlier associated primarily with men. Today, as women are freer to shape their identities, Beckwith writes, "even physically frail women, such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, can be tigers when it comes to defending the poorest of the poor." In Joan's day, when women were expected to be subservient, this warrior stance was "a real shocker." Discussion questions for the session on expanding gender roles take up personal attitudes about virginity, rape, and homosexuality.

This retreat, suitable for individuals and groups, is certain to open the door for further study of Church history and teaching on a wide range of issues in the contemporary culture.