Dear Parishioners,

On this great festival of Pentecost the Church brings the Easter Season to its solemn close. This day is sometimes referred to as the Birthday of the Church. I recently read an article that offered a creative way for us Americans to understand Pentecost. If July 4th commemorates the day when the 13 American states were liberated from England’s rule, then September 17th commemorates the day when this collection of states became the one United States, for it was on this day that the Constitution, our charter document, was signed allowing us to take our place among the other nations of the world.

For the Christian Church, Easter is our independence day when we celebrate our liberation from sin and death because of the resurrection of Jesus. Pentecost is our “constitution day” therefore when we received the charter from the Holy Spirit that publicly identified Christianity as the ongoing presence of Christ in the world.

As we commemorate the birthday of the universal Church on Pentecost, we are also mindful of our parish community where the universal church is given local expression. May 30th is the feast of our parish patron, St. Joan of Arc. I have always wondered why St. Joan was chosen as the patron of the newborn Catholic community in Lisle, which in 1924, celebrated its first Mass on the second floor of Riedy’s Hardware store where Evviva’s Eatery is now located. Some have suggested that there was a cluster of French immigrants in the Lisle area who would have known about and admired Joan of Arc. Others speculate that it was because Joan had been recently canonized by the church in 1920, even though she was martyred in 1431. (The church tends to move slower and more deliberately when canonizing historical figures who were highly controversial, which Joan was in the 15th century.) For whatever the reason(s), we are blessed to have Joan of Arc as the patron of our parish and school, giving us a unique patronal identity within the Joliet Diocese.

The life of St. Joan has fascinated people of all walks of life throughout history. Theologians, biographers, artists, poets, song writers, soldiers, film makers as well as the countless number of devotees who implore her intercession have been, and continue to be, inspired by her all too brief life of 19 years. While the feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1412, is the traditional day on which her birth is said to have occurred, this is not known with certainty since record keeping in those days tended to focus more on the date of one’s baptism or death. It is clear however that Joan was born in Domremy, a village in northeastern France, where the estimated population was 200 inhabitants. There are no verifiable portraits or images of Joan since these were destroyed in the wake of her execution. The only existing visual image of Joan was a drawing done by a county clerk who never actually saw her, but who sketched a rough portrait of her after reading the accounts of her trial. He depicted her in a dress that fully covered her body, something later artists tended not to do because they were more interested in her military leading them to portray her in armor and men’s attire. He also portrayed her with long black hair, a severe facial expression, a sword in one hand and a military standard in the other. The certainty of her hair color is verified by a strand of her hair that was discovered in the 19th century in a wax seal that was used to authenticate the letters she dictated.

If authentic, this bit of hair is most likely the only 1st class relic of St. Joan in existence since her body was consumed by f ire at her execution, after which her heart, the only remaining organ, was cast into the river. Her personal squire described her as “beautiful and shapely,” as well as “strong and vigorous.“ The latter two qualities were essential for anyone serving in the military, considering that a soldier’s armor weighed between 40 and 50 pounds.

The domestic skills expected of all women at the time of Joan would have helped foster the strong and vigorous comportment by which she was characterized. Wives and daughters were needed to: milk cows, fetch cream, churn butter, make cheese, carry grain to the mill and return home with flour, bake bread, feed the chickens, ducks and geese, collect eggs, slaughter, pluck and butcher all meat products, sow, tend and reap anything that grew in the garden, fetch water from the well, make, mend and wash the family clothing, render soap from animal fat, clean the house and all the utensils used therein, collect the necessary wood required for the family hearth, nurse and care for babies, work in the fields during planting and harvest times, wield a sickle to collect hay, pick the hops used to make beer, shear sheep, wash the wool and spin it into yarn and provide the daily meals that nourished family members and, when possible, provide food for the poor. This arduous array of duties truly kept women sequestered in their homes under the dominion of a male relative, e.g., father, grandfather, uncle, brother or cousin. Realizing this cultural context in which Joan was raised may help us to better understand her vocation as soldier and military leader.

When Joan was thirteen years old her life began to take a dramatic shift when one summer day, while tending the family garden, the church bells rang for the Angelus as they commonly did. The ringing of church bells at fixed times throughout the course of a day was a common ritual practice in Catholic villages. When they rang at unexpected times, it was considered an alarm that warned villagers of an imminent danger such as fire, wolves or an approaching army. Although on this day the bells rang at the anticipated time, they rang for an unanticipated experience, namely (in Joan’s words) a great deal of light on all sides and a voice from God to help and guide me. This was to be the first of similar experiences that would follow. Although this voice was from God, it was the voice of Michael the archangel who was accompanied by the archangel Gabriel and a host of many angels. Michael’s message to Joan on that day was direct and simple -- Be good and go to church often.

Could there be a more succinct and profound message for all of us to heed?

Blessings,

Fr. Gabriel , O.S.B.

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