Tag Archives: By Dawn’s Early Light

Supporting Heroic Military Women

- Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
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I have been connected to the military for as long as I can remember.

My father was in the National Guard, and my brothers Gary and Tim fought in the Vietnam War. Several other family members also served in the military.

As a young girl, I prayed so much for my brothers to be safe, and I have vivid memories of my mother’s earnest prayers for my brothers to come home alive from the jungles of Vietnam. Tears filled in her worried eyes as she fervently prayed that God would save her sons…

My National Catholic Register article shining a light on heroic military women is here.

Happy Feast of St. Joan of Arc!

- Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
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Saint Joan of Arc is a very popular and beloved saint. I have included her in my recent book By Dawn’s Early Light: Prayers and Meditations for Military Wives (Sophia Institute Press) since she is a patroness of soldiers and military leaders. I hope you get to know her a bit more through the excerpt from my saints’ chapter of the book which I’ll share below, and perhaps through prayers to her asking for her intercession.

 

St. Joan of Arc, Patroness of Soldiers
and Military Leaders

Joan of Arc (1412–1431), a subject of many books, movies, and plays, was born in France to well-to-do peasant parents. Joan loved the sacraments and had a heart for the poor. In 1424, at twelve years old, this simple peasant girl began having visions of St. Margaret, St. Catherine, and St. Michael. She heard St. Michael tell her that she needed to go to King Charles VII to support him and help him rid France of the English.

Despite her young age, during the many battles of the Hundred Years’ War, Joan was instrumental in recapturing Orleans, Rheims, Paris, and numerous other towns from the English. The angry English declared her a heretic.

Joan was captured near Compiègne and was sold to the English. She was placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft, was interrogated, and was condemned to death for her crimes against the English and as a heretic, sorceress, and adulteress. Joan refused to retract her statements that it was the saints who appeared to her and spoke to her. In 1431 in Rouen, nineteen-year-old Joan was burned at the stake. She asked for a cross to be made that she put on her dress while she was burned. A priest held up another cross for Joan to gaze upon during her martyrdom. Witnesses attest to her composure and courage.

Joan’s ashes were dispersed in the Seine River. It is said that her heart did not burn and was thrown into the river with her ashes so that there wouldn’t be any relics. In 1456, Pope Callixtus III declared that Joan was innocent of her crimes and was now considered a martyr. Joan was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. To St. Joan of Arc is ascribed the prayer “I fear nothing, for God is with me.” Her feast day is May 30.

Novena Prayer to St. Joan of Arc
Opening Prayer

Eternal Father, You gave us St. Joan of Arc
through Your infinite love and mercy for us.
We humbly ask that You send down Your Holy Spirit
upon us, as your Spirit is the intermediary
by which the Word goes forth from Your lips
and reaches the ears of the faithful.
Allow me to be a witness to Your Son
Jesus Christ, just as St. Joan of Arc was.

O Jesus, grant me the courage to do Your will,
that I may be in one accord with our Father in Heaven.
I thank You for the gift of Your love,
which I hope to understand fully one day.

Petition Prayer

Pray nineteen Our Fathers,

followed by the following prayer:

St. Joan of Arc,

by your powerful intercession,

hear and answer me.

St. Joan of Arc,
I ask you now to fight this battle
with me by prayer,
just as you led your troops to victory in battle.
You, who were filled with
the Holy Spirit and chosen by God,
help me this day with the favor I ask:
(mention your request).

Grant me by your
divine and powerful intercession
the courage and strength I need
to endure this constant fight.
O St. Joan, help me to be victorious
in the tasks God presents to me.

I thank you and ask you
for your continuing protection
of God’s people.

Closing Prayer

Sweet St. Joan,
plead for me before the throne
of Almighty God, that I may be deemed
worthy to be granted the request I have asked.
Help me, St. Joan, to be more like you
in the attempt to love our Lord
with all my heart, soul, and mind.
Through your guidance and prayer
help me to be a truly devout
and loving Christian, that I may
both know and see the will of God.

Help me now St. Joan, in my time of need.
I ask that you may always be near me
guiding me closer each day to Jesus.
Thank you, St. Joan,
for having heard my prayer. Amen.

Chatting with Al Kresta about military stresses and invisible war wounds

- Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
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In case you missed it, you can listen to Al Kresta and me chatting about military stresses and strains and invisible war wounds in our conversation yesterday on Memorial Day: Here is a link to my recent radio chat: Just slide the marker to the “22:27” mark and our chat will begin just after that point. Enjoy!

By Dawn’s Early Light with Special Military Novena Prayer Bracelet!

- Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
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Honor your soldier by wearing and praying with this beautiful prayer bracelet created by Donna-Marie and learn about the heroic military women with Donna-Marie’s brand new prayer book! Purchase this bracelet and book COMBO and $5.00 will be donated to the Wounded Warriors! Click photo to go to the book purchasing page on this website. PLEASE NOTE, other military medals are available. Click picture to go to choices.

YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE WOUNDED WARRIORS!

Learn about the heroic military women, be inspired by reflections and prayers, wear or gift a lovely bracelet in honor of our soldiers, and help the Wounded Warriors all at once with this sweet deal!

Book description: Whether you’re together on a military base with your spouse or alone waiting for your loved one to return from deployment, you’re juggling the many endless, special, and often heartbreaking demands placed on military families – demands not addressed in most prayer books. And, like so many other military wives, you’ve often got to bear these burdens alone, and sometimes even silently.

Here you’ll find powerful prayers composed for your needs and also frank and inspiring testimony from fellow Catholic military wives. These are your stories, told with unflinching honesty, echoing your heartaches, your pains, and yes, your amazing triumphs in faith, both small and large.

On good days, By Dawn’s Early Light will help you thank God for the blessings of your spouse’s noble vocation; on bad days, it will help you walk steadily in your sure Catholic faith, grateful to be able to put one foot in front of another.

All too well you know that for you, heroism doesn’t remain on the battlefield—it’s woven into the fabric of your life.

By Dawn’s Early Light shines the healing light of Christ on that heroism, giving honor and praise to you and to God, as with Him you fulfill the duties and experience the joys of one of the most noble of all vocations: that of a military wife.

Click here to purchase and see other options.

By Dawn’s Early Light: My labor of love for Military Women

- Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
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My prayerbook for military women is now available! I feel very blessed that my dear friend Father Andrew Apostololi gave me some words of endorsement in his last days which you will see on the back cover of the book. This book is not simply a prayerbook, but a compilation of stories of the brave military women whom I have interviewed who juggle many endless, special, and often heartbreaking demands placed on military families – – demands not addressed in most prayer books. And, like so many other military wives, they’ve got to bear these burdens alone, and sometimes even silently.  I wanted to shine a light on these women and tell the world of their heroism. I believe that my book, By Dawns Early Light shines the healing light of Christ on that heroism, giving honor and praise to the women and to God of course, as with Him they fulfill the duties and experience the joys of the noblest of all the vocations: that of a military woman!

I have partnered with Sophia Institute Press to create this unique prayer book for Catholic military wives. I believe that it is a book for all Catholics, especially those who want to learn more about the unique lives of Catholic military women who’s heroism doesn’t remain on the battlefield, but is woven into the fabric of their lives.

You can see more here at my website: as well as opportunities to purchase this book for yourself or a loved one.