Day 8 of the Petitioning Novena of St Anne, food for the feast!

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

EIGHTH DAY

Hail, St. Anne! I rejoice at your exalted glory. You gave birth to Mary, whose divine Son brought salvation to our lost world by conquering death and restoring life and hope to sinners. Pray to Him who, for love of us, clothed Himself with human flesh in the chaste womb of your daughter.

Glorious St. Anne, with your blessed daughter, deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God. Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood, that He may send His Holy Spirit to enlighten and direct me in all that I do, always obedient to His holy inspirations.

Good mother, keep a watchful eye on me. Help me bear all my crosses. Give me the fullness of your bounty and sustain me with courage.

A dear friend is visiting this miraculous shrine in the States where the icon above exudes myrrh/oil. Here is my blog posting about it on Day One of the Novena. She has generously stated she is happy to take any personal prayer intentions and place them at the feet of St Anne's icon on the feast day of St Anne. If you would like to have any prayers intentions taken to the shrine, please email me them and I will gladly pass them on.

If you haven't yet entered the draw to win one of five gemstone, heirloom quality St Anne chaplets (which you can view in detail here) please email me or leave a comment in the comment box (with your blog link or email for contact.)

Our theme for our St Anne feasting this year will be the 'Flowering Vine/Rod of Jesse'.

This ancient symbol was discovered in the resting place of her body in Apt and quoting from the book, "St Anne, Grandmother of Our Saviour":

"St Anne's body was then placed in an opening in the wall excavated from a subterranean gallery known as the Antrum Antiquum, which had originally been a branch of the catacombs. It was reached by a short flight of steps and hedged in by the cathedral ramparts. This wall opening, which would now become an ossuary, would be sealed in and not marked in any way; but on that part of the passage ceiling which was directly beside it a design would be carved, intelligible only to the initiate.

This design is still visible, in exacly the same form wherein it was graven so many centuries ago. It consists of the flowering branch of a tree, interlaced with a vine bearing both foliage and grapes. To look at it is an experience so moving that, months after gazing at it, this chronicler finds it impossible even to write of it without profound emotion. For it reveals, unmistakably, that when the stone slab was carved, even as now, men and women were reverently reciting the litany which begins:

"St Anne, Grandmother of our Saviour, pray for us."

And continues:

"St Ane, Root of Jesse,St Anne, Fruitful Vine....pray for us."

The fruitful vine carved into the ceiling above St Anne's body in Apt.

Personally, we require no further confirmation of our belief that this became St Anne's last resting place. But to the doubting Thomas-or Thomasne, as the case may be - has only to look at the slab beside the one which shows the root of Jesse and the fruitful vine."

I had read in the "My Nameday, Come for Desert" that for decorations or symbols for St Anne a "flowering rod" can be used. Here is the beautiful family prayer to recite at the table:

Father: We all rejoice in the Lord. As we keep holiday in honour of blessed Anne. Of her whose feast fills angels with joy, And sets them praising the Son of God.

All: Amen

Father: Spotless Anna, Juda's glory, Through the Church from East to West, Every tongue proclaims they praises, Holy Mary's mother blessed.

All: From thy stem in beauty budded Ancient Jesse's mystical rod; Birth from thee received the Mother Of the almighty Son of God.

Father: Let us pray. O God, You were pleased to bestow Your grace upon Anne so that she might fitly become the mother of her who was to bear Your only-begotten Son; grant that we who keep her feast will be helped by her protection. Through Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen. Christ conquers, Christ reigns!

For our St Anne feast this year we will be having Chicken in White Wine pasteries, (for a French touch) with an image of the stump of Jesse, flowering on the top of each pastie.

For dessert I will be making a Chocolate Ripple Log Cake, in the shape of a stump with flowers and fruit coming from the twig on the stump.

Here was our food for last year's feastday.

A reminder again, of Charlotte's cooking, a wonderful St Anne Feast, inspired from the "My Nameday, Come for Dessert" book. This is a must see!!