Tuesdays with St Anne with the whole family

Children are usually very visual and for the record, so am I! And because life is busy in a big family, especially with schooling involved, I NEED the visual ‘pointers’ in the day to bring me to recollection.

This is why I set up a ‘mini altar’ on top of our sorting centre. The sorting centre stands about adult chest height so it is high enough that I don’t have to worry about little ones getting to it in any way. It is a nice tall and thin timber cabinet with 10 drawers. Scroll down this posting and you will see it when we had it set up for the novena of Our Lady of Lourdes last month.

I continue to use it for novenas and for devotional days and so on Tuesdays my St Anne statue comes off the main family altar and goes onto the mini altar, the children go and collect flowers from the garden for the day to place in the vase. I have all my St Anne sacramental/prayerbooks with it – her chaplet, her Holy Oil, my Good St Anne manual. (It contains the prayers) I also have a blessed wax candle as well, because when I gather my children for prayers we like to light the candle. If it is a very special intention we are praying for, we let the candle burn longer so that our prayers continue to rise to heaven.

Another place to set up a ‘mini altar’ is in the centrepiece of the dining table, we have a lazy susan that is just ideal for this. Since families usually sit at the dining table three times a day, it can be a reminder at each of those occasions, at the very least.

The prayer I like to say most with the children, is the St Anne Litany, as even the very youngest can join in and say, “Pray for us!” Also Litanies are particularly beautiful because we are remembering and praising the saint we honour in the recitation and ultimately we praise Jesus, who has worked His grace and power through them.

Who doesn’t like to be praised by those we love? We all do! If my children were to write a list of all the reasons they loved me on Mother’s Day I would be greatly touched. So in saying that, we can understand why litanies are so blessed. To know why the Church has always recited litanies, follow the link.

When I was a five years old, I have a strong and beautiful memory of my 15 year old next door neighbour reciting the Litany of Our Lady off by heart (impressive to a little child!) after the communal rosary in their home whenever they had the Parish statue of Our Lady for the week – that boy went on to become a priest (and married my husband and I) – and I never forgot what an impression a litany can have on the heart and soul of a little child. It is good to have those memories, as what seems ‘normal’ to adults can be quite ‘mystical’ through a child’s eyes. So it is a reminder to me to think of the of the children and not underestimate their hearts during prayer time.

Of course as far as having an image of St Anne is concerned, a picture or even a holy card of St Anne is just as good if you haven’t a St Anne Statue. It does not have to anything fancy or expensive. If I need an image for this sort of purpose, and I don't have one, I'll find something really beautiful in an internet image search, there are just so many wonderful pictures. How easy these sort of things are when you have the net! What IS important is the visual reminder for mum, the beautiful experience for the children and the heartfelt honouring of St Anne by everyone.

Litany of St Anne

Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us.

Lord have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Angels and Saints, Pray for us.

St Anne, Pray for us.

St. Anne, instrument of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us.

St. Anne, faithful spouse of St. Joachim, Pray for us.

St. Anne, mirror of the married, Pray for us.

St. Anne, example of widows, Pray for us.

St. Anne, miracle of patience, Pray for us.

St. Anne, mother of confidence, Pray for us.

St. Anne, mother of constancy, Pray for us.

St. Anne, mother of prayer, Pray for us.

St. Anne, mother of blessing, Pray for us.

St. Anne, vessel of sanctity, Pray for us.

St. Anne, merciful mother, Pray for us.

St. Anne, comfortress of the afflicted, Pray for us.

St. Anne, help of the poor, Pray for us.

St. Anne, protectress of virgins, Pray for us.

St. Anne, support of the oppressed, Pray for us.

St. Anne, refuge of thy clients, Pray for us.

We sinners, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through thy love for Jesus and Mary, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through thy virtues and merits, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through thy goodness and mercy, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through thy compassion and charity, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through the graces bestowed on thee by God, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through the joys thou didst experience with Jesus and Mary, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through the happiness thou dost enjoy for all eternity, We beseech thee, hear us.

Through the honor given thee by the Saints in Heaven, We beseech thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, St. Anne,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O God, Who didst vouchsafe to endow blessed Anne with grace so that she might be worthy to become the mother of her who brought forth Thine only-begotten Son, mercifully grant that we who devoutly venerate her memory may also be helped by her powerful intercession. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Next week I want to share my own personal experiences with St Anne's intercession through honoring Tuesdays and how she can show her intercessory power through her days.