PAPERBACK EDITION (4″ x 6.5″)
Among all the excellent qualities Joan of Arc exhibited in her short life, this book focuses on these seven:
- Her spirit (her spiritual formation and personal zeal);
- Her identity (her strong sense of self and personal calling);
- Her power (her excellent judgment in using coercive power to save her country);
- Her mobility (her purposeful action in executing her mission);
- Her realism (her ability to judge correctly what to do in complex situations);
- Her attraction (her immense powers of persuasion); and
- Her inspiration (the way in which she called the men and women of her day to heroism).
Richard Van Kirk –
At Fort Drum in Northern New York, home of the 10th Mountain Division, there is a bronze statue of Saint Joan of Arc in the main entrance to the Chapel. It is fittingly titled “The Pieta of Joan of Arc,” as it depicts her holding a dying man in her arms. The young woman who captured the imagination of the world, referred to herself only as the “Maid,” was one of the greatest leaders in human history. Peter Darcy has explored the virtues of St. Joan and put them on paper for us. Darcy uses an easy style to present the concepts. He packs tremendous insight into the leadership skills of a young woman, an uneducated Catholic girl, that enabled her to change the world. By exploring the virtues of Joan of Arc, Peter Darcy inspires us to excel too. Each of us can capture the burning desire to do great things for God and others, as young women, and men, we are called to greatness.
William Hemsworth –
Whether you are familiar with Joan of Arc or not you will be enlightened. This book is for anyone who aspires to be a better leader in any area of life.
Gene Van Son –
Whether you are the head of a family, the head of corporation, or someone aspiring to a leadership role, Peter Darcy’s short book “The 7 Leadership Virtues of Joan of Arc” is well worth taking time to read.
Joan of Arc has been one of my favorite saints since I first learned about her in grade school. The 1948 B&W movie “Joan of Arc,” starring Ingrid Bergman as Joan, made me a St. Joan enthusiast. So when I was gifted with a copy of “The 7 Leadership Virtues of Joan of Arc” I read it immediately.
Darcy concisely explains (in just 66 pages) Joan’s leadership qualities – her 7 leadership virtues. Focusing on one virtue per chapter, Darcy breaks each virtue down into its basic underlying characteristics and explains how and why each characteristic is a critical component of the virtue. He concludes each chapter explaining how today’s leaders can incorporate these characteristics into their own missions.
I have always thought of Joan as a virtuous young woman carrying out a mission given to her by God, but Peter Darcy presents Joan in an entirely new light. Darcy’s book shows how a mere 17 year old girl was able to lead the French to victory over the English. Joan was most definitely an extraordinary leader. Only an exceptional leader could have accomplished what she was able to accomplish. As Darcy says in his synopsis, “she is a leader we should still learn from today.”
Dr. Eileen Quinn Knight –
This book tells of her leadership virtues as a mystic and a warrior who obeyed the command of God to perform extraordinary deeds. Because of her virtue, she had a profound effect on both the earthly and heavenly kingdoms. Among all the excellent qualities Joan of Arc exhibited in her short life, Darcy focuses on seven: spirit (her spiritual formation and personal zeal); identity (her strong sense of self and personal calling); power (her excellent judgment in using coercive power to save her country); mobility (her purposeful action in executing her mission); realism ((her ability to judge correctly what to do in complex situations); attraction (her immense powers of persuasion); and inspiration (the way in which she called the men and women of her day to heroism). Fine leadership skills are a rare trait, and it is unlikely that anyone is truly born a leader. Many people become good leaders through training but others, like Joan of Arc, have a God given charism of leadership that enhances their natural skills for leading men and nations In these rare instances, the individual’s human formation, character, and circumstances add the rest. History has seen its share of great leaders and Joan of Arc, who did extraordinary things in such a short period of time, takes her place among them in one of history’s fullest expressions of leadership.
Similar to today’s situation of the pandemic, Joan was born shortly after the Black Plague wiped out half the population of France. Joan came into the world during an era of great social and political upheaval. She convinced the crown prince of France, Charles VII to appoint her as leader fo France’s military forces so that she could lift the siege of the city of Orleans and begin the liberation of her country from English domination. She was able to do so at the age of 18! She liberated all of Northern France and assisted Charles in becoming the King of France. The failure of the diplomatic efforts led to Joan’s military losses and her eventual capture. She was held captive for the next year and was eventually imprisoned and brought to trial. This trial remains one of the greatest acts of injustice ever recorded. She was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake in the city square of Rouen on May 31st, 1431 at the tender age of 19.The Catholic Church conducted an official review of the trial that condemned Joan of Arc twenty-five years earlier. The process known as the Rehabilitation, completely nullified the original verdict of her condemnation. The Catholic Church canonized Joan as a saint and a martyr in the year 1920, nearly 500 years after Joan’s life and deeds.
The author provides all with a way to follow the mission of Christ. The seven leadership skills provide us with reflections on how to live them in our daily lives. In this time of the pandemic, use the book for a daily meditation on each of the virtues of leadership. Darcy calls us to transform the lives of people around you through this book.
Maurice A. WIlliams –
I got a lot out of this book. I always knew Joan of Arc was a young Catholic Saint who lived around 600 years ago. But she was a woman warrior who led her country in a war of liberation from conquest by a foreign country. I didn’t have much in common with her. I am a man and not much of a warrior.
But Peter Darcy gave me a different perspective on Joan of Arc. She battled political systems that tried to take over her country. Today in my country there is an ongoing political battle for the heart and soul of my country that has me very pessimistic of what to expect in the future.
Joan was called by an angel of God to help put her country on the right track. Perhaps what we need today are patriots, not to fight with sword and muskets, but to convince others to recognize who God is and try to serve God instead of our own less-than-perfect selves.
Darcy’s book gave me the inspiration to not sit back and complain, but first of all to develop the virtues I need to have in order to correctly view the world and then use those virtues to try to lead my country back into reverence and fidelity to the God who created all of us.
These virtues (or good habits) are not something contrary to my nature, but something natural and spontaneous to me. I should just be my natural self but guide my instincts so as not to run contrary to God’s holy will and then try to set a good example for others.
Sounds easy, and is probably a lot easier than any of us think.