Catechism Corner | St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On July 26^th the Church and our parish celebrates the feast of Anne. Saint Anne is our parish patron. To prepare for this celebration, we will hold a Novena prayer of Saint Anne (every Sunday start from May 24^th).

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives—all indicate a close-knit, loving family especially the mother that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the best of the past.

Anne (Hebrew, Hannah) 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 one" or "the loving one."

We have limited knowledge about Saint Anne. She is not mentioned in the New Testament, and we must depend on apocryphal literature, chiefly the Protoevangelium of James, which dates back only to the second century. In this document we are told that Anne, wife of Joachim, was advanced in years and that 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." Anne replied, "As the Lord my God liveth, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life." And thus Anne became the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was just three years old when Ss. Anne and Joachim led their daughter to the Temple steps, saw her pass into the inner sanctuary, and then saw her no more. The holiest parents on earth could not, in the plan of God, raise this Child as was needed. Ss. Anne and Joachim humbly adored the Divine Will, and continued to watch and pray, until God called them to unending rest.

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 fulfilment of all its prophesies.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.