St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Anne is the wife of Joachim, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother to our Savior Jesus Christ. Her name means “grace” or “the gracious or loving one.”
Anne was advanced in years, and her prayers for a child had not been answered. Once as she prayed beneath a laurel tree near her home in Galilee, an angel appeared and said to her, “Anne, the Lord hath heard thy prayer and thou shalt conceive and bring forth, and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world.” Thus, Anne became the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Good Saint Anne” is the loving way that Catholics address the mother of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Fifty years after Saint Anne’s death, her body was brought to France by Saint Mary Magdalene and her companions in the year 47. Countless churches have been dedicated to Saint Anne all over the world. Canada in particular is devoted to her, and has a beautiful shrine named for her, called “Saint Anne de Beaupré.” We also have a beautiful shrine to Saint Anne here in our Parish.
Simplicity is the secret by which we gain Saint Anne’s intercession and her protection. She taught her Blessed Daughter to read the Holy Scripture, seeing in Her the fulfillment of all its prophesies. Her feast day and that of Saint Joachim is observed on July 26th.