The Nationalism of St. Joan of Arc

Today is Joan of Arc’s feast day. Her story says something profound about nations’ right to defend their borders.

George Matwijec | May 30, 2026

The issue of immigration is central to many countries in Europe and also the United States in today’s political environment.  At its heart is whether a country has a right to maintain its cultural identity and therefore limit immigration in order to preserve that identity.

What if there were a historical example that shed light on that topic and included a note of divine consent?  There is such an example, and that is the story of Joan of Arc.

Joan came out of nowhere as a woman in the medieval era and led an army to eject the English from her land.  The lesson here is twofold. First, no country has a right to maintain occupation or domination over another.  This message in itself is quite relevant to today’s political theater.  Second, a country has a right to maintain its cultural identity free from foreign domination — in this case, English domination over France

May 30 is the celebration of Joan’s feast day of Joan.  Maybe it’s time to take a second look at her life story and see what connections can be made.

What is interesting about the Joan of Arc story is that Joan claimed that her deeds were done with divine assistance.  She frequently claimed that she had received inspiration by means of voices from St. Margaret, St. Catherine, and St. Michael the Archangel.  This is an incredible claim.  However, what she accomplished was an incredible feat in its own........

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