Saint Joan of Arc feast day ideas for families and classrooms

1. Read her story

Joan grew up about 600 years ago in Domrémy, a little village in France. She looked after the sheep, spun wool with her mother and loved to pray. At a time when France was in great trouble, God gave this ordinary girl an extraordinary task: to help save her country and see the prince crowned king. She rode to the prince, led his soldiers to free the city of Orléans, and stood beside him when he was crowned in the cathedral of Reims. Today she is a patron saint of France.

Our picture book tells her story gently for reading aloud, and ends with a simple prayer and three small ways to be brave this week. See the book.

2. Make a banner like Joan's

Joan carried a white banner sprinkled with lilies, with the names of Jesus and Mary written on it. She said she loved her banner forty times more than her sword.

Make a banner of your own from white paper or felt taped to a dowel or a wrapping-paper tube. Write “Jesus” and “Mary” across the top, then draw lilies or anything else your child loves. At the bottom, let them draw one thing they want to be brave about. Hang it in their room, or carry it in a little procession around the house or garden.

3. Listen in the garden

Joan first heard God's call when she was about thirteen, at noon on a summer day in her father's garden. She later said that the first time, she was very afraid.

Take your children outside for a few quiet minutes, in a garden, a park or by an open window. Sit still together and listen to the birds, the wind and the quiet. Then ask, “Is there something good God might be asking you to be brave about?” It helps children to know that even Joan felt afraid. Being brave doesn't mean never being scared; it means doing what's right anyway.

4. Meet Joan's heavenly friends

Joan said she was guided by Saint Michael the Archangel and by two saints, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret. She was never alone in her task, and neither are we: God gives each of us a guardian angel, and the saints are our friends in heaven.

Teach your children the traditional prayer to their guardian angel:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

5. Be brave for God

Joan's courage grew from small things: telling the truth, doing her work, saying her prayers. Try the three challenges from the end of the book:

• Do the right thing even when it feels hard, like telling the truth, or standing up for someone who needs a friend.
• Say a kind hello to someone who looks left out or alone.
• When something good feels a little bit scary, take a deep breath, say a small prayer, and be brave.

At bedtime, ask each child to share one brave thing they did that day.

6. Follow her journey on a map

For older children, print a simple map of France and mark Joan's journey with stickers or a colored line: from her village of Domrémy, to the town of Vaucouleurs where she asked for help, to Chinon where she met the prince, to Orléans where she led the soldiers, and finally to Reims, where the king was crowned. It was a long way for a farm girl who had hardly left home.

Or use our free Saint Joan's journey map (PDF, opens in a new tab), ready to print for every child: a map of France to trace and color with the five stops, Joan's banner to color and cut out, a box for “I will be brave for God by…”, and a leader's page with what to say at each stop.

7. Have a French breakfast

Make her day feel special at home with a French breakfast: crêpes with fruit, or bread and jam. Teach the children to say “Bonjour!” (good morning) and a short grace in French: “Merci, mon Dieu” (thank you, my God).

8. Pray together

End the day with the prayer from the book:

Dear God, make me brave. When I am afraid to do what is right, help me to say yes to you, with a big, brave heart, the way Saint Joan did. Amen.

For a printable page with this prayer and the three challenges, with tick boxes for the week, download our free Be a Little Saint pages (PDF, opens in a new tab). Saint Joan's page is the fourth page.

In the classroom or parish

• A banner parade: each child makes a small banner, and the class carries them in a short procession, perhaps on the way to a May crowning, since Joan's banner carried Mary's name.
• Brave for summer: Joan's feast falls at the end of the school year. Read the book, then let each child write or draw one brave, good thing they'll try over the summer.
• Before a big day: read her story before First Communion, a first day of school, or anything new that feels a little scary.

Choosing Saint Joan for Confirmation

Saint Joan is a favorite Confirmation saint. One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit given in Confirmation is fortitude, the courage to do what is right, and few saints show it as clearly as she does. For young people preparing for Confirmation, she's a friend who shows that God can do great things through anyone who says yes to him, however young.

More ideas for catechists and teachers are on our parishes and schools page.