Hey Heroic Hearts listeners! Season 2 is over, but we’re pleased to bring you this bonus episode in which Walter interviews Amy about her recent pilgrimage to France, following in the footsteps of St. Joan of Arc. If you didn’t catch Season 1 on the life of St. Joan of Arc, begin the adventure here!

From Amy:This past June, I had the great privilege of joining Chris and Catherine Snidow of Pilgrim Witnesses and seven other Joan of Arc enthusiasts for a very special pilgrimage to France. For 10 idyllic days, we explored the villages, churches, battlefields, and castles in which the incredible, almost unbelievable drama of Joan of Arc’s heroic life played out. Even though I’d read the books and watched the films, nothing prepared me for standing in the very places where “Joan the Maid” walked, prayed, fought, and sacrificed. I think my fellow pilgrims would agree that we encountered not just a story, or even a legend, but a real human being whose soul shines with strength and beauty.

Here’s a brief itinerary:

June 17-19: “Base Orléans”

* The monastery of St. Benoit-Sur-Loire where St. Benedict’s relics rest and through which Joan of Arc and the Dauphin Charles VII passed on their way to Reims for Charles’ coronation

* The Chateau Sully-Sur-Loire, which hosted Joan during her Loire campaign

* The city and Cathedral of Orléans

* The historic site of Les Tourelles, where Joan fought the final battle to free Orléans

June 20-23: “Base Domrémy-La-Pucelle”

* The Basilica of Joan of Arc in Domrémy-La-Pucelle

* The Fairy Tree

* Maison de Natale de Jeanne D’Arc (i.e. the house where Joan was born)

* Joan’s childhood church, St. Remy

* Vaucouleurs, where Joan traveled to convince Robert de Baudricourt to give her escorts and an introduction to Charles VII

* The Chapelle de Bermont where Joan prayed as a girl, and which contains the oldest known image of Joan of Arc

June 24-26: “Base Reims” in Champagne, France

* The Benedictine Monastery of St. Thierry

* The Cathedral of Reims, where Charles VII had his coronation (made possible by Joan of Arc’s military victories and strategic foresight)

June 27: Rouen, France

* The Cathedral of Rouen

* The Tower where Joan was imprisoned

* The Vielle Marche where Joan was burned at the stake

Chris and Catherine are planning another pilgrimage in summer 2023. Please visit Pilgrim Witnesses to learn more and sign up!

In the final episode on the life of St. Thérèse, co-hosts Walter and Amy reflect on their “Heroic Hearts” journey with this extraordinary saint. As her young life draws to a close, Thérèse makes the life-changing discovery that her vocation is love. The members of her community at last begin to recognize her great sanctity while her sister Pauline records her “Last Conversations". From these notes we hear again and again of Therese's desire to suffer for souls, to spend her time in heaven doing good on earth, and above all, of her ardent desire for God's will concerning her life and her death.

Thanks to all our listeners for accompanying us on this journey with our favorite saints, Joan of Arc and Thérèse of Lisieux. We hope you’ve enjoyed the show. Please share it with others and stay tuned for future bonus episodes!

Reflective Questions

* How would you describe The Dark Night of the Soul? What is your experience with such dark nights?

* How has this time with Therese taught you to love, suffer, and die to self with joy?

Prayer

Thérèse, by your generous intercession:May we, too, suffer in joy and peace.May we, too, like only whatever God does.May we, too, see that we are often in agony over silly things.May we, too, be patient with those who annoy us when we’re in pain.May we, too, praise the trees, the birds, the flowers.May we, too, know that unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

May we, too, become little—more and more.

Resources

* Heather King’s Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Thérèse of Lisieux

* Prayer of the Heroic Hearts

Hosts: Walter Emerson and Amy ChaseContact: podcast@heroic-hearts.comFollow us on Instagram! heroic2hearts

Walter and Amy explore the deeper aspects of St. Thérèse’s spirituality related to the problem of suffering. Whether it was losing her parents at a young age, enduring the loneliness of rejection, or her own physical suffering, Thérèse bore her crosses with equanimity and even joy. Join Walter and Amy’s discussion of this perennial mystery: Why does Christ allow us to suffer? What purpose does it serve in our sanctification? How can we redeem our experiences of pain and rejection in order to live a more Christ-like life?

Reflective Questions

* Have you watched a loved one suffer? What did you experience?

* Have you felt insignificant or unnoticed? What can you learn from the life of St. Thérèse?

Reading

* This episode: Heather King’s Shirt of Flame, Chapters 9 and 10

* Next episode: Heather King’s Shirt of Flame, Chapters 11 and 12

Prayer

Lord, when the world tells me I am nothing, help me to remember that you are not of the world. When everything I do turns to ashes, help me to remember to turn to you. When everywhere I turn is a blank wall, help me to see your face. When I feel like an orphan, help me to remember that you are my Father. When I feel like a frightened bird in a dead universe, help me to remember that love reigns eternal. When I feel like I’m being stripped down to nothing, help me to know that you are especially near.

Resources

* Heather King’s Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Thérèse of Lisieux

* Prayer of the Heroic Hearts

* Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Novena (traditionally July 7th-16th)

* Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement

Hosts: Walter Emerson and Amy ChaseContact: podcast@heroic-hearts.comFollow us on Instagram! heroic2hearts

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