"Since God had commanded it, it was right to do it."  ~ St. Joan of Arc 

I held the last Little Flowers meeting of the 2010-2011 Session.  I organized a day retreat.  The first half of the retreat was for the traditional Little Flowers meeting.  The second half of the retreat was for some faithfilled games and crafts.

I couldn’t have pulled off such a meeting without the help and support of the Little Flower community. The snacks and supplies were provided by LF families. I had two mom helpers and two sister helpers. Praise God!

Here was the schedule for the retreat.

9:00am – Arrival, prayer, intro

9:25am – Wreath I Saint game

9:50am – Saint & Virtue Study – St. Joan of Arc~Obedience, visit from Fr. L

10:20am – Snack

10:40am – Saint & Virtue Craft – ribbon/carnation bracelet

11:05am – LF housekeeping – pass out handouts and update binders

11:30am – clean up, set lunch, get ready for Mass, Angelus

12:15pm – Mass

1:15pm – Lunch followed by free-time

1:50pm – Tie-Dye

2:45pm – Crafts and Outdoor Rotation

3:45pm – Clean up

4:10pm – Free play and crafts (finish projects)

4:30pm – Rosary

5:00pm – Depart

We followed the schedule, for the first half of the meeting.  The second half is another story.  I’ll safe the details for another post.

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“My God must be first served.”  ~St. Joan of Arc’s Motto

St. Joan of Arc

Traditional ~ May 31 – New ~ May 30

The life of Joan of Arc, who was born into a prosperous peasant family, took place in the context of the conflict between France and England known as the Hundred Years War. At the age of thirteen, "through the ‘voice’ of St. Michael the Archangel, Joan felt herself called by the Lord to intensify her Christian life and to act personally to free her people".
  She made a vow of virginity and redoubled her prayers, participating in sacramental life with renewed energy. "This young French peasant girl’s compassion and commitment in the face of her people’s suffering were made even more intense through her mystical relationship with God. One of the most original aspects of her sanctity was this bond between mystical experience and political mission". said Benedict XVI.
  Joan’s passion began on 23 May 1430 when she fell into the hands of her enemies at Compiegne and was taken to the city of Rouen. There a long and dramatic trial was held which concluded with her being condemned to death on 30 May 1431.
  Joan died at the stake on 30 May 1431, holding a crucifix in her hands and invoking the name of Jesus. 
  "Joan saw in Jesus all the reality of the Church, the ‘Church triumphant’ in heaven and the ‘Church militant’ on earth. In her own words, ‘Our Lord and the Church are one’… "With her shining witness St. Joan of Arc invites us to the highest degree of Christian life, making prayer the motif of our days, having complete trust in achieving the will of God whatever it may be, living in charity without favouritisms or limitations, and finding in the Love of Jesus, as she did, a profound love for His Church".

~ Taken from VIS – JOAN OF ARC: BRINGING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL INTO HISTORY, based on Benedict XVI General Audience Address January 26, 2011.

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Patron: captives, France, imprisoned people, martyrs, opposition of Church authorities, people ridiculed for their piety, prisoners, rape victims, soldiers, Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service WEAVES, Women’s Army Corps WACs

Symbols: bareheaded girl in armor with sword, lance or banner

~ Saints.SQPN.com

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"I have been commanded to do two things on the part of the King of Heaven: one, to raise the siege of Orleans; the other, to conduct the King to Reims for his sacrament and his coronation." ~ St. Joan of Arc

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Fleur di Lis

The Fleur di Lis was also introduced to the girls.  A Little Flower brought the banner that she created from the kit that she won from here.

Here are some of what the Fleur di Lis represents:

• Joan of Arc carried a white banner that showed God blessing the French royal emblem, the fleur-de-lis, when she led French troops to victory over the English in support of the Dauphin, Charles VII, in his quest for the French throne.
• The Roman Catholic Church ascribed the lily as the special emblem of the Virgin Mary.
• Due to its three "petals," the fleur-de-lis has also been used to represent the Holy Trinity.

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We were blessed by a visit from Fr. L.  He gave a brief talk on the Pope. He encouraged the girls to pray for Pope Benedict XVI on a daily basis but especially on the special anniversary of his priestly ordination. 

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Obedience

Prayer for the Virtue of Obedience

Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may subdue both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favour in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath!

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Fr. Lasance, Catholic Girl’s Guide

…Teach Obedience, dearest Jesus,
Such as was Thy daily food
In Thy toilsome earthly journey
From the cradle to the rood.
Teach Thy Heart, to me, dear Jesus,
Is my fervent, final prayer,
For all beauties and perfections
Are in full perfection there.

…Do you, dear child, remain always a docile, obedient daughter of your father and mother. Your fulfillment of the fourth commandment will be as a sweet odor before the Lord, and wall make you one day a partaker in the bliss of heaven.

We discussed the virtue of obedience. The virtue that was exemplified by St. Joan of Arc’s following of God’s will.

Here are some additional reflections that were shared with the girls. They come from Fr. Lasance Catholic Girl’s Guide.

At Nazareth a mirror bright

Stands before the Christian’s sight;

Look therein and you will see

How obedient you should be.

– To whom do you owe obedience? To your parents before everyone else, according to His example of whom we read: “He was subject to them.” Your parents are for you the representatives of God on earth. Therefore always pay heed to their exhortation, never grumble or make a pert answer. I have already said a great deal as to what your conduct to your parents should be, when I spoke about the fourth commandment.

– But mark this well: do not regard obedience as a painful necessity; consider it rather to be Christian virtue. Obedience of this nature has its root in humility; faith sanctifies it, and love renders it sweet. For it is only Christian obedience, the obedience which springs from lobe of God, that will remain with you through life, whatever may be your circumstances. On the other hand, obedience which arises from compulsion, human respect, or a desire to please, is merely external, and therefore of no value. Obedience of this nature will never last long, and will not bring you true peace of mind.

– What is obedience? It consists in subjecting our own will to the will of another. This most precious virtue is termed by St. Augustine “the mother and root of all virtues.” St. Bonaventure calls it “a ship, in which one sails to heaven.” Hence we learn that obedience is a virtue, indispensably necessary for everyone, but especially for children and young people; for obedience is order and order must prevail in every place where God is and where He reigns. Disobedience, the offspring of pride, kindled the flames of hell, and peoples its dread abode. In regard to this St. Bernard says; “Abolish disobedience, and you will abolish hell.” Obedience is, according to St. Francis of Sales a sweet virtue. He says: “He who rightly obeys will live aright; he will live sweetly, as does the child in the arms of its mother, free from anxiety and care.”

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Craft

We made ribbon bracelets. We followed the directions posted here. We used pastel grosgrain ribbon and embellished the bracelet with a faux carnation flower (the flower that represents obedience).

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"In God’s name, the soldiers will fight and God will give the victory" "En nom De, les gens d’armes batailleront et Dieu donnera victoire" ~ St. Joan of Arc

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"I had a banner of which the field was sprinkled with lilies; the world was painted there, with an angel at each side; it was white of the white cloth called boccassin; there was written above it, I believe, ‘JHESUS MARIA;’ it was fringed with silk." ~St. Joan of Arc

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Resources

Handouts: (in order)

• Obedience Divider Sheet (print on white paper)
• Obedience Activity Sheet
• St. Joan of Arc Coloring Page – Catholic Heritage Curricula-CHC
• St. Joan od Arc Coloring Page – CHC
• St. Joan of Arc Bio for Kids – Holy Spirit Interactive
• Obedience Memory Verse
• St. Joan of Arc – Obedience Info

Resources:

SAINT

• St. Joan of Arc’s History for Kids – quick facts, stories, bio, pictures, movie, and more!
• A Heroine of France:  The Story of Joan of Arc
• St. Joan of Arc Activity and Resource Book – NEST Complete Learning System – coloring pages, puzzles, matching games, word searches, and much more! 
• Joan of Arc Org 
• St. Joan of Arc Center
• What is Obedience? Printing Worksheet

VIRTUE

• Achieve Perfect Obedience of the Blessed Mother – Audio Sermon

Painting by Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel in 1911 of Joan of Arc kneeling before her Voices
Titled "The Vision and Inspiration"

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PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

Composed by Louis, Bishop of Saint Dié

God, Who has given to Joan of Domremy to be valiant in the humble work of the house and the fields and generously faithful to all Your calls.

Grant to us, by her intercession, to accomplish with faith all the works of our lives and to serve You courageously in our labors on the land, that we may earn a place with Joan and all the saints of France, in the Kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

St. Joan of Arc, ora pro nobis