All my ladies!

It’s International Women’s Day, and God’s all about girl power too—and I can prove it!

Take a look at just five of the Church’s amazing women out of the great cloud of them that are rooting for us ladies today!

St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc is Mulan, except she’s not a just a legend, she embraced her womanhood, and she brought glory to God through it all. Joan received visits from St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria, all of whom asked her to do the unthinkable: lead the French army to free the country from England. But she did it—she got into the thick of battle and led her soldiers to victory, maintaining virtue through it all. She was eventually captured and sentenced to death by burning at the stake. Her last words were shouting the name of the Person she loved—Jesus.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla

St. Gianna Beretta Molla was a mother of three and a professional doctor—all at once! When she conceived her fourth child, the pregnancy became dangerous, and other doctors recommended an abortion. Gianna refused. She ended up giving her life for her child, who is still alive today.

Blessed Chiara Badano

Note: as you may be able to tell, this is NOT an actual picture of Chiara; all her pictures are pretty firmly copyrighted, so I chose a stock image that I thought fit her life and spirit well enough. Still, it's not the same as the original, and I recommend you take a look at true pictures of her to get a grasp of the immense joy and beauty of this young woman. 

Anywho, when Blessed Chiara Badano was 16, she had no intention of becoming a nun. Or getting married. She wanted to be a flight attendant so she could travel the world. However, when she developed a terminal bone cancer, she looked death in the eye and laughed, in love with the One she trusted to the end.

St. Bakhita of Sudan

St. Bakhita of Sudan was kidnapped from her African village as a child and thrown into the slave trade. After years of survival and endurance—and the scars to prove it—she eventually found God when she was brought to Italy. Once she found Him, she fought for her freedom so she could dedicate the rest of her life to Him as a religious sister.

The Blessed Mother

She is the Immaculately Conceived Queen Mother of Heaven and Earth, gave birth to the King of Kings, and has the ear of the Creator of the Universe. ‘Nuff said.

These are woeful oversimplifications of these women’s life, so I vehemently recommend that you look into them in places that will do them far more justice. And again, these are only five I happened to pick; unfortunately, I don’t have fast enough fingers to bang out the awe-inspiring lives of St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Mary Zhu Wu, and the other thousands of canonized women. That’s not even discussing all the uncanonized heroines who are enjoying their crowns with the Lord.

And let’s never forget, ladies—we and our baby girls are meant to be saints too.

Happy International Women’s Day! Praise God for girl power!

Image Credits:

Joan of Arc

Gianna Beretta Molla

Chiara Badano

Bakhita of Sudan

Blessed Mother