About St. Anne
St. Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. According to apocryphal tradition, she and her husband Joachim were a wealthy but childless couple who suffered public shame for their inability to conceive. After years of prayer and fasting, an angel appeared to announce they would have a child in their old age. Their daughter Mary was born, and they dedicated her to God’s service in the Temple at age three, fulfilling a promise they had made. Though little else is known with certainty about her life, St. Anne became one of the most popular saints in medieval Europe, with numerous shrines and churches dedicated to her, particularly in France and Canada. She is traditionally depicted teaching Mary to read, highlighting her role in preparing Mary for her future as the Mother of God. As the patron saint of mothers, grandmothers, housewives, and women in labor, she is widely invoked for help with infertility and pregnancy. Her feast day is celebrated jointly with St. Joachim on July 26th, and she is particularly venerated at the Shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupré in Quebec, where many miracles have been reported.
Prayers & Devotions
