Saint Anne, Mother of the Virgin Mary

The name Anne means “grace” in Hebrew; it is also written Ann or Anna.
The fact that she was chosen to be the mother, in the flesh, of the Mother of God shows the virtues and piety that set her apart from other women, so that she received this great grace.
Since she was barren, she begged God to take away her shame, and he gave her a daughter who was a blessing to her and to all humanity: the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Saviour of the world.

Who is this saint?

According to an ancient tradition, she was the daughter of Matthan, son of Levi, son of Melchi, of the line of Aaron the priest, and her mother’s name was Mary, of the tribe of Aaron. Matthan had three daughters: the first, Mary, named after her mother, was the mother of Salome the midwife; the second, Sophia, was the mother of Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist; and the third was Saint Anne, wife of the righteous Joachim of the tribe of Judah, and mother of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Saviour of the world. So the Virgin, Salome and Elizabeth would have been cousins.

Many saints praised Saint Anne, especially Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, around 368. From then on, devotion to her and to Joachim spread throughout the Church.

Countless churches around the world are dedicated to Saint Anne, among them the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, northeast of Quebec City in Canada, which draws people from everywhere.

The Catholic Church celebrates her together with Saint Joachim on July 26 each year.

Prepared by Rita, of the Sawt el Rab team