While St. Thérèse of Lisieux is most well-known for her autobiography, Story of a Soul, she also wrote many poems, songs and plays. She had a very creative mind, one that was informed by her deep love of God.
On January 21, 1894, in honor of her sister, Mother Agnes of Jesus, Thérèse wrote her first play on St. Joan of Arc entitled, “The mission of Joan of Arc, or The Shepherdess of Domremy listening to her voices.” It is a fascinating play, one that can be read in full on the archives website of the Carmel in Lisieux.
St. Thérèse took the role of St. Joan of Arc, who has been a personal hero throughout her entire life. She wrote in her autobiography about the influence Joan had in her life.
When reading the accounts of the patriotic deeds of French heroines, especially the Venerable Joan of Arc, I had a great desire to imitate them; and it seemed I felt within me the same burning zeal with which they were animated, the same heavenly inspiration. Then I received a grace which I have always looked upon as one of the greatest in my life because at that age I wasn’t receiving the lights I’m now receiving when I am flooded with them. I considered that I was born for glory and when I searched out the means of attaining it, God inspired in me the sentiments I have just described. He made me understand my own glory would not be evident to the eyes of mortals, that it would consist in becoming a great saint!
Thérèse wrote this play during the national “Year of St. Joan of Arc” in France as Pope Leo XIII declared Joan “venerable” on January 27, 1894.
It was a major step in the canonization process of Joan of Arc, acknowledging the holiness of a woman who was once before declared a “heretic.”
The play itself is very unique, as it focuses on Joan’s conversations with her “voices,” featuring St. Catherine and St. Michael the Archangel as primary characters.
What’s even more fascinating are the descriptions she gives for each scene.
For example, in one of the scenes with St. Michael she notes, “Saint Michael appears, suspended in the midst of a luminous cloud. Joan seems very frightened at the sight of him.”
I found these scene descriptions inspiring, and they became the main inspiration behind my comic book series on St. Joan of Arc. Often in modern accounts of Joan’s life, these miraculous encounters are omitted or greatly subdued. Yet, Thérèse decided to focus on them and make them extraordinary, as much as she could using her limited resources inside the monastery.
While I was not able to incorporate all of Thérèse’s scenes, I continually reference her play for inspiration.
St. Thérèse was a talented playwright, and while she would have likely never wrote a comic book, I wrote one to pay her homage, as well as give due credence to the “Maid of Orleans.”
–> Check out a preview of this series!
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.