My Life with St. Joan and St. Thérèse - Chapter 9 (Third Edition)
I was not a French King. However, after my healing on Joan of Arc’s day of victory, I felt like one.
I was not a French King. However, after my healing on Joan of Arc’s day of victory, I felt like one. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, the King in St. Louis, Missouri, is a masterpiece both inside and out. Majestic and grand, it stands worthy of a saintly French King—the only one in all of France’s long and noble history to be canonized. Built just over a century ago, the new cathedral is a significant landmark. The old Cathedral near the Mississippi River, while charming, is much smaller in comparison.
I had come so that Mary’s rose might flourish.
Seated in Our Lady’s Chapel, just to the left of the main altar, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I read through St. Louis de Montfort’s prayer of total consecration, the same prayer I had recited on July 16, 2006. In renewing my consecration to Mary, I felt the significance of doing so in the Cathedral of St. Louis, especially after being healed through the intercession of St. Joan of Arc. It was here, in the “castle” of a French King, that a radically new chapter of my life began. This renewal, rooted in my devotion to Mary—whose womb was the “Castle of the true King”—marked the start of that transformation.
Work had brought me from the Chicago area to St. Louis in 2007, placing me within walking distance of the grand Cathedral Basilica. Each day, I walked there for Mass during my lunch break, longing to renew my consecration to Our Lady in her chapel.
Our Lady guided me to St. Louis, where I could renew my devotion in that remarkable cathedral. There was a mystical connection between St. Joan of Arc and me, and the “castle” of a great French King was the perfect place to nurture it. This bond began in 1977 when I stood before her statue at Mont Saint-Michel after my high school graduation. It deepened through my connection with St. Thérèse, who shared a profound love for St. Joan. It was all spiritual, regal, and profoundly French—and it was all centered on Mary.
I once wrote, “To Jesus through Mary, in the friendship and sisterly care of St. Joan and St. Thérèse!” Their combined spirituality, which I described as “the most beautiful color in the Heavens,” was about fostering the deepest relationship possible with Jesus Christ through His beloved Holy Mother and these two extraordinary saints.
Our Lady brought me to St. Louis for this purpose. Here’s why I believe this: Three days after I renewed my consecration, my employer informed me they no longer needed my work in St. Louis. Since we never sold our home in Gurnee, we simply returned there.
Back in the Chicago area, I started visiting the newly consecrated Icon of Our Lady of the Sign, Ark of Mercy, at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. The Icon, a stunning hand-carved Eucharistic monstrance depicting Mary crowned with twelve stars, is a unique masterpiece. I visited regularly to pray before the Blessed Sacrament there.
One afternoon, as I prayed before the Eucharist, I felt Our Lady speak to me in my heart. In a contemplative vision, I saw her walking beside me in a peaceful meadow. She said, “If you have something you feel you need to say, you should probably think about saying it.”
After reflecting for a moment, I replied in my heart, “Yes, I believe I have something I would like to say now.”
That afternoon, I went home and began to write. As weeks turned into months and months into years, Mary’s rose of grace indeed flourished.
Around this time, reading one of St. Thérèse’s poems about St. Joan of Arc touched me more deeply than ever before. My devotion to St. Joan blossomed further, and it continues to grow today. I am inseparable from St. Joan and St. Thérèse, and through them, from Our Holy Mother, Mary. Through all of them, I remain inseparable from Jesus Christ, as long as I avoid falling back into the sins that separate us. I pray fervently for the grace of final perseverance so that this inseparable bond carries into eternity.
“To Jesus through Mary, in the friendship and sisterly care of St. Joan and St. Thérèse!” Together, they are indeed “the most beautiful color in the Heavens!”
Thank you, Mary, Most Holy Mother of God, for your rose of grace.
I am very glad Our Mother advised you to 'say it'!