St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Grandmother of Jesus Christ.
She and her husband were devoted to God. Their home was Nazareth. Anne, the wife of Joachim was advanced in years. Her prayers for a child had not been answered. Joachim was very sad and went up the mountain to pray. Anne prayed to God in her home and begged him to give her child. Once as she prayed beneath a laurel tree near her home in Galilee, an angel appeared and said to her, ?Anne, the Lord has looked upon your tears. You will give birth to a daughter, and she will be honoured by all the world,? Anne replied, ?As the Lord my God wills; and she shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of her life.?
And thus Anne became the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Anne offered her child to God in the service of the temple at a very early age.
She is the patroness of housewives, women in labour, cabinet makers and miners. Her emblem is a Door. St. Anne has been frequently represented in Art, and the lovely face depicted by Leonardo da Vinci comes first to mind in this connection. The name Anne is derived from the Hebrew word Hannah, meaning ?grace?.
God endowed her with special grace to be the mother of the Mother of God. Her feast is celebrated on 26th July.
Our Congregation of Sisters of Charity of St. Anne is called after her name. St. Anne is the patroness of our School.