Week 2 of Lent Madness closes out in style and it’s only fitting that today’s matchup inspired not just blogs and devotions, but an entire theatrical production and movie trailer! 🎬🔥 Be sure to watch today’s Daily Saintly Showdown video for the full drama.
First, let’s talk about yesterday. The Allies showed up in force and it was the twin physician saints Cosmas and Damian narrowly defeating the original clergy power couple Priscilla and Aquila with 53.60% to 46.40%. The healers advance! 🩺✨
But now… the moment many of you have been waiting for.
Today’s showdown feels a bit like David vs Goliath. On one side, the warrior saint who led armies and inspired a nation. On the other, the quiet, disguised monk whose life of humility became one of the most fascinating stories in Christian tradition.
It’s Joan of Arc vs Marina the Monk. ⚔️🕊️
And of course the SEC is never biased… but we might gently encourage everyone to at least read Marina’s story before immediately running to vote. Trust us, it’s worth it.
So read the blogs, watch the video, learn the stories… and then cast your vote in today’s saintly showdown! 🏆
Joan of Arc
At first glance, Joan of Arc seems like an unlikely saint. She was a teenager, a farmer’s daughter, a military commander, and eventually a condemned heretic. And she did all that in just about two decades of life, while I hadn’t even picked a major in college yet at that point in my own journey. And yet, the Church remembers her not for fitting expectations or blazing a women-in-pants trail, but for faithfully following God’s call even when it led straight into danger.
Joan was born around 1412 in the small village of Domrémy in northeastern France, during the chaos of the Hundred Years’ War. France was fractured, occupied, and, frankly, demoralized by English forces. At around thirteen years old, Joan began to experience spiritual visions, including of Michael the Archangel. These visions instructed her to support the rightful French king, Charles VII, and to help drive the English out of France.
This was, to put it mildly, a tall order for a teenage girl with no formal education or military training. And yet, Joan persisted. After navigating various checkpoints of skepticism, she gained an audience with Charles and convinced him of her divine mission. Dressed in armor and carrying a banner rather than a sword, Joan accompanied French troops to the besieged city of Orléans. Against expectations, the siege was lifted, and French morale soared. Joan’s presence shifted the tide of the war, not through military genius, but through courage, faith, and an unshakable conviction that God was at work.
Joan’s success quickly racked up a whole host of enemies, and in 1430 she was captured by Burgundian forces allied with the English. She was put on trial by an ecclesiastical court. The charges ranged from heresy to wearing men’s clothing, a true crime! Despite intense interrogation, Joan remained full of spiritual clarity. When asked if she was in God’s grace, she declared, “If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.”
She was condemned and burned at the stake in 1431 at about nineteen years old. Twenty-five years later, her conviction was overturned. In 1920, nearly five centuries after her death, Joan of Arc was canonized. She is now one of the patron saints of France.
Joan’s story is not the typical tale of triumph. It is a story more about obedience, discernment, and faithfulness under pressure. She reminds us that God often calls the unexpected and that holiness can look like bravery, clarity, and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds. For Lent Madness competitors and faithful alike, Joan of Arc challenges us to ask: what might happen if we trusted God as fiercely as she did?
— Samantha Smith
Collect for Joan of Arc
Holy God, whose power is made perfect in weakness: we honor you for the calling of Jeanne d’Arc, who, though young, rose up in valor to bear your standard for her country, and endured with grace and fortitude both victory and defeat; and we pray that we, like Jeanne, may bear witness to the truth that is in us to friends and enemies alike, and, encouraged by the companionship of your saints, give ourselves bravely to the struggle for justice in our time; through Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Marina the Monk
St. Marina of Bithynia, also known as Marina the Monk, is a member of a group that I call “church-basement saints” – the ones in the background, quietly doing what they can to make the world better through faith with grace. These saints do not have books or letters for us to read, there are no grand churches or shrines named after them, and they did not perform impressive miracles. They simply lived a life of faith and the world turned towards them because of it. Because Marina is a church-basement saint, we do not have many hard facts, but we do have a legend about this monk. Born sometime between the fifth and sixth centuries in the Middle East, Marina was raised a devout Christian by her father after her mom died when she was very young.
As she reached marriageable age, her father, Eugenius, decided that once she was settled, he would become a monk. Marina vehemently opposed this plan, angrily asking,
“Why would you save your own soul at the cost of destroying mine?” Baffled, her father inquired what her suggestion was, then. In answer, Marina shaved off her hair, put on men’s clothes, and stated that they would join the monastery together. Eugenius agreed and off they went, with Marina now being introduced as a man named Marinos.
Marinos and his father lived, worked, and prayed together in that monastery for a decade before Eugenius passed away. Marinos mourned his loss. He stayed in community at the monastery, though, and continued to live as a monk.
One day, a young, unmarried, pregnant woman told her parents that Marinos was the father of her baby. Outraged, the parents went to the Abbot to demand answers and justice. When confronted, Marinos did not deny the accusation. He took responsibility for the situation and the child. We cannot know why Marinos did this. I personally like to believe that Marinos knew the importance of a good father, one who, like St. Joseph, would go against the pressures of the world for his son. He did not want this innocent little boy, whom he named Fortunato, to grow up lonely and unwanted.
Because of this apparent violation of his vows, Marinos was exiled from his community. He spent years on the streets, begging for food for Fortunato. Eventually, the monks took the two back into the monastery, where Marinos was expected to continue atoning through hard labor. Marinos lived out the rest of his life at that monastery with his son. His secrets were not discovered until after his death, at which time his fellow monks lamented their accusations and experienced miracles at his tomb.
— Bekah Scolare
Collect for Marina the Monk
Give us grace, Lord God, to refrain from judgments about the sins of others; that, like your servant Marina the Monk, we may hold fast to the path of discipleship in the midst of unjust judgments; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
108 comments on “Joan of Arc vs. Marina the Monk”
Marina could be the dark horse of Lent Madness 2026 and win the Golden Halo
Several years ago I was the’Spiritual Director’ for a J2A pilgrim trip consisting of a gaggle of 15-16 year old girls who had opted to walk in the steps of Joan of Arc. From Paris to Donremy La Pucelle, we travelled by train musing on the journey of Jean d’Arc and what lessons we could learn from her short, valiant life. Great memories of France and the summer of 2017!
I appreciate Marina's simple story. I used to work for a mission organization where sometimes the missioners were held up as more important than the staff. I worked in the fundraising department and speaking up that we were missioners, too. We were proud of the work we did. Let me say that the missioners were incredible people many of whom I love dearly. But God loves as all, and we all are called one way or the other. So I cast my vote for Marina today, and I like to imagine Joan and her breaking bread together and sharing their stories in heaven.
Gosh, at 11:20am I cast the tying vote so far. A tight race indeed. Thanks to all the commenters for their thoughtful responses. They definitely helped me with my choice, which I will not divulge except to say, thank goodness wearing trousers is acceptable nowadays for everyone!
Was St. Marinos the first trans saint? Many blessings, St. Marinos - protect those who change genders.
I have always had problems with why restoring the weak French was a great part of a Divine plan. Yes, Jeanne died for her faith. However, Marina's living as a monk thing is a bit creepy, although I do find the whole "I am going to be a monk and forget my family responsibilities" a bit off-putting, so I sympathize with Marina on that. This was a tough one since I have problems with both women.
I can't help but wonder if Marina helped inspire the Brother Cadfael story with Brother Fidelis and Brother Humilis.
Just gonna drop this here for Joan of Arc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQydMhY9OpI&list=RDwQydMhY9OpI&start_radio=1
This was good! I think I’ll be singing this and thinking of Ingrid Bergman all day!
Some may consider this to be scandalous (though I hope not), but I think of Marinos as being transgender, like my own son, who I love and accept wholeheartedly. I had to vote for Marinos, not only because of his gender but also his choice to sacrifice himself to care for another's child. "What you do for the least of these you do for me", after all.
I had to make another comment so I'm replying to myself. Scandalous, no haha. Reading through all of the other comments I see many people who either are trans or an advocate, and I am so grateful for them. We travel together.
Yes, there is monumental sentimentality for Joan; however, to persist and do what is right for another all those years is, I must vote for Marina the Monk
Calling the support for Joan sentimentality trivializes her achievements and her extraordinary courage, faith, and disregard for self.
I was fascinated to learn about Marina, but Joan is a lifelong favorite, and I had to vote my heart (like Joan would do). She's such a fantastic example of faithfulness despite external pressures. I also think of her as an example of childlikeness as successful leadership, which gets so close to the heart of Christ. People followed her because they trusted her sincere faith. And where would this world be, these past five hundred years, without an independent France? You can do it Joan, go for that halo!
As of my vote, Marinos is lagging by 44. War and martyrdom are not the only reasons for sainthood!
Love is what we're here for, and Marinos showed us how by raising an unwanted child.
Amen
Wow. Well, Joan of Arcadia was my favorite tv show of all time (canceled, of course, like any show I favor), so I had to vote for Joan. But Marina's story was so well written; I can see Marina the Monk as the patron saint of transgender people. I will not be sad if it's Marina that marches on.
That was such a great show! But yeah, no surprise it left too soon. Will there ever be another show that takes the idea of God that seriously? Maybe not.
Who is to say what their sexuality was? In this day and age we should all be very accepting of unusual clothing and behaviors.
St Marinos for me, hands down: in honor of all our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers and sibs, here in the US and all over the world
My head canon for his story is that the accusation was a trap by someone who suspected he was "really a woman" and wanted to expose him.
St Marinos, pray for all our trans and gender-queer siblings:
For those who are persecuted and abandoned, fleeing their home countries or living on the streets
For those who have been killed because they were trans
For those who are painfully passing, even to their families
For those who were and are trailblazers, so those who come after them had role models and could imagine a way to live as they truly are.
https://www.rainbowrailroad.org helps those who need to flee.
https://glaad.org/tdor/ organizes the Trans Day of Remembrance on or around Nov 20 annually, for those who have been killed because they were trans... at least the ones we know about.
https://www.goodqueernews.com is a newsletter by Ben Greene, a transgender advocate who (among other things) supports parents of newly out trans kids & has a recent book out on precisely that topic.
I'm an Englishman. How could I possibly vote for Joan of Arc?
Oops.
Not a position
Vote for Marina! She sacrificed glory and honor for the sake of a child!
Here at St. Augustine's in Santa Monica we are all in for Marina/Marinos because s/he is honored by the queer community as the patron of transgender individuals.
OMG its tied!
What does the SEC do in the case of a tie? Flip a coin? Or advance the two to the next round as a pair?
I’m genuinely surprised the voting between these two is so close. I have difficulty understanding how Marina’s story (built around disguising herself as a man and maintaining that deception) is presented as a model of sanctity. Especially today, when questions of gender identity are already so culturally charged, it seems more appropriate for the writer to refer to Marina as “she” rather than adopting male pronouns.
Lindy, I wish you could see Marinos' story as being built around a lifetime of religious devotion and dedication to monastic vows, plus the humility to provide care for a fatherless child--even at the cost of humiliation and exile. Marinos chose that life, lived that life, and was faithful to the end.
Another half-vote to each.
Joan we all know about.
Have never heard of Marina.
Needs encouragement.
Team Joan! Both women were brave, but hard work does not come close to being burned at the stake. I'm from Louisiana, where we take Joan d'Arc quite seriously.
I love an opportunity to shine a light on those whose gifts to the world are little known. So, though I honor the faith and courage of Jeanne, I think she would be happy to share some love with Marina/os. My vote goes to the single-parent monk.
She seemed to do more.
Always like all of what Joan of Arc accomplished
I expected to vote for Joan. As a teenager, I loved Bastien LePage's painting (in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art) of Joan receiving visions. And I have seen the place in Rouen where she was burned at the stake. But in the present moment, I am less inclined to vote for a warrior saint than one who was motivated by love of biological and intentional family -- her own father and the son for whom she took responsibility.
As an Army veteran, I simply must cast my vote for the Patron Saint of women soldiers. Go Joan!
In this case, I voted for the underdog, Marina. It's a fascinating story and she/he was doing God's work! Would love to know more about this saint.
I am so upset that you are portraying Joan of Arc as some kind of heroic figure. Would you really send your 13 year old daughter into battle against an army? This is not some Disney fantasy. Our "king" just started a war against Iran, a country that--in our lifetime!!!--sent children the same age as Joan into battle against bullets and tanks. If Iran sends children into battle against the US military tomorrow, will you praise them??? Where is your conscience? Shame, shame on you!!!
However devoted, faith filled, and god-fearing Joan may be
I cannot hold with a Warrior God that stands not between clear principles Of justice compassion and truth but takes sides between long-standing feud between 2 nation-states.
anathema