Saint Josephine BakhitaĪlthough she lived a much longer life than St. Even though she said early in her mission that she would rather be at home spinning wool with her mother, she wanted to do what she believed was God’s will. She was captured by French noblemen who supported the British, and she was falsely tried, convicted and burned at the stake. Through her extraordinary bravery in helping and accompanying the relief army, she helped win battles that led to the coronation of King Charles VII and to France's ultimate victory at the end of the Hundred Years’ War. The saints requested that she actively support Charles VII in his quest to reclaim France from British power. But she’s also the patron saint of soldiers, military personnel, martyrs, captives, people who have been ridiculed for their faith and women who served in WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services) and in the Women’s Army Corps.īorn a Christian peasant, the saint said she received visions of Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
She is one of the patron saints of France. She was born in France in 1412 and was killed May 30, 1431. Saint Joan of ArcĪnother brave female saint who became a virgin-martyr when she was still a teenager was Saint Joan of Arc. Because her love of God and hatred of sin was so great, she remained faithful and pure and prayed just before she was brutally executed for being a Christian. When she still refused to deny God, she was forced to live in a brothel, but an angel protected her. When that didn’t work, she was put in chains. At first, she was promised expensive gifts if she would renounce God. The men whom she had rejected turned her over to the authorities for being a Christian. But she told all of them that Jesus was her only Spouse, and she wanted to remain pure and holy for Him. Agnes was such a beautiful young girl that many powerful men wanted to marry her. Her feast day is January 21, and it is honored in a special way by the Catholic Church.īorn to Christian parents at a time when pagans ruled Rome, St. Saint Agnes is the patron saint of young girls, as well as rape survivors, the Children of Mary and chastity. One of the bravest saints to have ever lived became a virgin-martyr when she was only 12 or 13 years old in Rome in 304 AD. Here are eight such saints whom we can look to for encouragement in our pursuit of courage. He said, “Let us ask for the grace of courage, for the courage to continue on in our Christian lives, amid the day to day, and also in extreme situations.”Īlthough meditating on the lives of brave men who are now saints can help us find that courage, we can also look at the lives of the brave women who are now saints, and we can find that same inspiration. During a 2013 homily, Pope Francis spoke about its value in maintaining our faith.
In a world where religious freedom is in jeopardy for all traditional religions, and violence, poverty, illness and disaster continuously impact our society, courage is desired and needed by many.
And they can just as easily serve as our role models. And while those attributes can usually describe most women saints, many of them lived their lives with the same amount of courage as their male counterparts. For female saints, however, you might be more inclined to focus on their kindness, generosity and purity. When considering the men who are saints, you might contemplate their bravery, strength and endurance. But what other qualities do you associate with them? If they didn’t have that quality, first and foremost, they probably wouldn’t have been declared saints. When you think of the saints, what comes to mind? The first thing that most people think of is their deep, abiding love for God above all else.
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