St Anne, Patroness of a Happy Death

St Anne, like St Joseph, is a patron for a happy death. Probably they share the same reason for being bestowed this intercessory power and that is to have died in the arms of Jesus and Mary. The origin of devotion to St Anne on Tuesdays is connected to tradition that states that Our Lord greeted St Anne at her death, saying anyone who had devotion to her on the day of the week that she died, would receive great graces at the hands of St Anne.

We all wish to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Our dearest wish would be to feel their presence at the hour of our death. We can believe with confidence that Jesus and Mary would have been present at their loved ones passing on earth and so we pray to be granted in some way, the same grace St Joseph and St Anne would have been given. On of the titles of St Anne in her litany is "Patroness of a Happy Death"

When I was sick a few months ago, I felt as if I were going to die, I grew anxious at this thought as I have six children who need me. It soon got to the stage with the constant battling on two fronts -physically and emotionally- that it wore me down in such a way that the anxiety interferred with normal thoughts of peace. So I battled then the continuing fear of death AND anxiety that was starting to take on a life of its own. It gave me a very small insight into the possible temptations that someone could experience when dying. It felt as if it were a diabolical attack in a way and I felt the need to pray for relief from these fears and distresses.

St Faustina stated how much prayer souls needed at the hour of their death or as they enter the 'death agony'. St Faustina would pray that the death agony would be shortened, knowing very well that it was a time that the devil tries to advance upon if possible. So we can say it is an important daily grace to pray for ourselves and our loved ones - praying for the grace we so especially need more than anything else, the grace to pass from this life into the presence of The Lord. I see my own recent experience as a great grace. I now know just how important it is to faithfully pray for this grace every day. Not just for myself either, for my family - my husband and children.

Today I wish to share a lovely story my husband had told me many years ago and then next week I'll finish this discussion with a beautiful example of how St Anne comes to the aid of those devotees who are about to die.

A friend of my dh told this story to him years ago.

It was a a lady who one day was walking past an secondhand op shop and she looked into the window to see a religious statue for sale. She went in to look at it as she didn't like the idea of a religious statue being in the shop for anyone to buy so she bought it herself.

At this stage she was unaware who the saint was but finally she found out it was St Anne. This lady, through the purchasing of this statue developed a very strong devotion to St Anne and that then continued on, all through her life.

As this lady, now elderly, entered her death agony they had expected her to pass away on a particular Marian feast in July (possibly Our Lady of Mt Carmel?) but she strengthened a little and continued on a few more days until finally she died on the feast of St Anne, 26th of July.

I could not help but to think there was a connection to her resucing of the statue, the subsequent devotion that developed and her passing on the feast of St Anne.

Our St Anne Prayer Intention Project

It just happened that this week would be one of many photos as we started our very special prayer intention to St Anne that will go on for a long time, we wanted to make our offerings very tangible for the children.

We are praying for my sister that she may have a baby, it is an intention very, very dear to our hearts. We wanted everyone to nominate their offering and formulate the prayers we would be offering each day.

I had the children draw all of this - there were lovely images of St Anne, my sister, pictures of things they would be going without and they wrote them down as well. The letters (including my own and my mother's) were all placed in yellow envelopes and addressed and drawn on.

We had a spare basket to place our envelopes of petition and wrapped it nicely in yellow cellophane tied with lemon ribbons.

Part of our communal prayer offering is the recitation each day of St Anne's beautiful litany so we decided to write each of the 17 titles of St Anne from that litany onto discs, they were to be stuck over the front of the basket. I bought some great little roses stickers, each disc would be stuck to the cellophane with a rose.

Here is the finished project. We are all ready to go. I found a lovely photo of my sister holding my oldest baby - this special family endevour will always be fresh in our minds (the way our Miraculous Medal project is) reminding us of our individual offerings and prayers for each day.

Dear St Anne, please pray for Carmen.

Cooking a Monastic Soup

Australia is right in the middle of autumn and while we have very mild weather it is nice to be desiring warm and hearty meals. I pulled out my copy of Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette and decided to make the Country Mushroom and Sour Cream Soup. (pg 32) I've been looking for healthy Friday meals and so this vegetarian soup fits perfectly. (I'm going to freeze this batch.)

One minor addition to it - dried nettles. Stinging Nettle is an excellent herb for building health and stamina, just the sort of thing you want to do as winter's colds, flu's and the like, loom nearer. I find that it is a bit like adding dried parsley, it can't really be tasted and so it is becomes a 'hidden' health elixer. I add it also to casseroles and mashed potatoes or pumpkin.

I can't wait till Friday! (Doesn't seem right does it? Fridays are meant to be penitential...)

Popes, saints and St Anne

This is my third posting focusing on saints quotes on St Anne - many of them loved her greatly. Ancient saints, doctors of the Church, mystics, abotts and popes.

St Thomas Aquinas was a saint who venerated St Anne:

"St Thomas Aquinas, hailed as one of the greatest of intellectuals, a prodigy of learning, a pillar of Holy Church, an angel of wisdom and one of the most eminent Doctors of the Church, was a fervent client of good St. Anne. His example ought to strengthen our confidence in this privileged Saint and urge us to venerate her most fervently. He frequently refers to St. Anne and sets forth reasons for honoring her dignity and power. He assures us that the privilege of aiding man in every distress has been given to good St. Anne." Good St Anne, pg 26-27

Another devotee was a mystic and shared the name of her patroness, Anne Catherine Emmerich:

"Anne Catherine Emmerich, who bore the sacred stigmata in her body, said, "In desperate cases of need, I always invoke the holy mother Anne." Good St Anne, pg 27

In every distress.....in desperate cases....we hear this over and over again, St Anne is a faithful mother to all who call upon her.

Two popes are quoted in the Good St Anne manual - both Gregories. Gregory XIII and Gregory XV. Pope Gregory XIII introduced the feast of St Anne to the universal Church and he declared the following:

"We believe that St Anne continually intercedes for us with the merciful Lord, for through her great benefits have come to mankind. From her was born the ever pure and immaculate Virgin Mary, who was found worthy to bring forth Jesus Christ, our Redeemer." Good St Anne, pg 30

Pope Gregory XV states:

"We do not doubt that the more love we show to the mother of Mary, the more we merit the intercession and aid of the holy Virgin who brought forth the only-begotten Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ." Good St Anne, pg 30

A very important point Pope Gregory makes - when we honour Anne we honour Mary. Devotion to St Anne has a special marian reflection - it is St Anne's womb in which the Immaculate Conception took place and tradition tells us that it is St Anne's home in which the Annunication took place, the most important events in history involve the 'abode' of St Anne in some way.

So we should ask St Anne to make our abode and home, hers.

Here is a beautiful prayer to St Anne.

Recommendation to Saint Anne

HAIL, O illustrious St. Anne, blessed among women because thou hadst the happiness of bearing in thy womb the holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God. I participate in the joy thou didst experience on giving birth to her and offering her in the Temple to the Eternal Father. I pray thee, good mother, to present me to thy well-beloved Daughter and to her Son, Jesus. Be my protectress and advocate with Jesus and Mary; be my intercessor, my refuge, my consolation. Amen.

Abbot Trithemius and other Saints on St Anne

Last week I talked about Abbot Trithemius a famous monk who had a very strong devotion to the mother of Our Blessed Mother - St Anne. I want to quote from him again and share some of the writings of other saints who have written about St Anne throughout the centuries.

I will start with St Teresa of Avila, my confirmation saint. St Teresa had great devotion to St Anne and it is lovely for me to make another 'connection' to St Teresa, in sharing this devotion to St Anne with her.

St Teresa was often repeated the following words: (quoting Good St Anne pg 30)

"We know and are convinced that our good mother St. Anne helps in all needs, dangers and tribulations, for Our Lord wishes to show us that He will do also in Heaven what she asks of Him for us."

St Teresa is a doctor of the Church, she was a female saint who did much for the church, for her order and the world. (we have her writings to this day) She was one of many doctors who loved St Anne as she recognised in her an advocate par excellence and Good St Anne pg 27 has this to say:

"This highly gifted teacher of prayer delighted to speak of St Anne's dignity and power, and she inspired those under her care with a fervent affection for Our Lady's mother. In all convents of the Carmelite Order, she introduced special devotions to St Anne."

As I have mentioned before, St Anne's cult is a very ancient one, and when you read quotes by saints from the earliest centuries, you know this to be true! St Augustine and St Damascene were two such saints:

"St Augustine, the illustrious Doctor who illumined the Church of God with his profound wisdom, practiced an ardent devotion to St. Anne. Every year on the Saint's feast, he preached on her virtues and dignity with an eloquence which encouraged and inspired his numberous hearers."

(Good St Anne pg 26)

"St John Damascene, another Doctor of the Church, not only most ardently venerated Mary, but St Anne as well. He preached many sermons in her honor and composed books that treated of her glory and dignity. "St Anne," he declares in his writing, "is a generous mother, a compassionate mother, a gracious mother, because the word 'Anne' means 'generous, merciful, gracious.' "

(Good St Anne pg 26)

I have no idea whether the books written by St John Damascene on St Anne are still accessible today, I'd hope so....I think I'll try to find out. His writings would be something special if the line above is anything to go by, which I'll repeat:

"St Anne is a generous mother, a compassionate mother, a gracious mother, because the word 'Anne' means 'generous, merciful, gracious.' "

I am going to meditate on that passage tonight, it is so very reassuring.

There are more quotes to share from the saints, certainly more than this post can accommodate, so I'll finish with a closing quote from Abbbot Trithemius:

"Approach St Anne, your amiable protectress, with full confidence. Knock at her gates with persevering prayer, because she can obtain for you the forgiveness of your sins and can open Heaven for you. She lacks nothing that can profit you...Believe me, who have already obtained many a favor through her whom the Queen of Heaven honors as her dearest mother....No one knows, no one believes how many favors God confers on lovers of St Anne!"