Day One of the Petitioning Novena to St Anne

Today is the beginning of the first day of the novena to St Anne.

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.

FIRST DAY

Dear St. Anne, though I am but a prodigal child, I appeal to you and place myself under your great motherly care. Please listen to my prayers and grant my requests. See my contrite heart, and show me your unfailing goodness.

Deign to be my advocate and recommend me to God’s infinite mercy. Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins and the strength to begin a new life that will last forever.

Blessed St. Anne, I also beg of you the grace to love, to serve, and to honor your daughter, the most holy Virgin Mary. Please recommend me to her and pray to her for me. She refuses none your requests but welcomes with loving kindness all those for whom you intercede.
Good Jesus, be merciful to the faithful servants of Your grandmother St. Anne.

The Myrrh Streaming Icon of St. Anne,

Mother of the Holy Virgin Mary

A very dear friend of mine is visiting the shrine of St Anne where this miraculous icon is revered. If you have any intentions that you would like physically placed at the foot of this icon, please email me with those intentions before the 26th of July and they will be placed there on the 26th of your behalf. I have already passed mine on to this very generous lady and she is more than happy to take the intentions you may have as well. To the lady at hand...a very BIG thank you!!!

Here is some information about this miraculous icon and shrine from their brochure:

On May 9, 2004 an Icon of St Anne, the Mother of the Holy Virgin Mary, located in the Russian Orthodox Church of "Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA began to stream myrrh.

On that Sunday one of the parishioners mentioned to the parish rector, Archimandrite Athanasy that the Icon of St. Anne seemed to be "perspiring."

Upon further investigation, Fr. Athanasy noticed visible liquid streams and droplets. Accumulations of the liquid were seen on the cuff on St. Anne’s left hand and on her left shoulder veil. Droplets were also found elsewhere on the Icon. This fragrant, slightly oily liquid is commonly referred to as "myrrh". Initially the myrrh looked like tear drops, as if St. Anne were crying. Later small, slow-moving streams of myrrh appeared in other parts of the Icon.

The Icon of St. Anne was commissioned by Fr. Athanasy in 1998, in the Mount of Olives Convent in Jerusalem. He himself had served there in 1980 – 1981. In 1998, the Icon was completed, blessed at the Sepulcher of our Lord in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, and brought to Philadelphia.

When Fr. Athanasy was 7 years of age, he fell off the second floor of a two story building, fracturing his right arm. At the hospital they could not find a pulse in his arm and the doctors considered amputating the limb. Fr. Athanasy’s mother, a devout Catholic, prayed to St. Anne. She procured oil from a nearby shrine dedicated to St. Anne and applied it to the injured arm. Doctors soon detected a pulse in the arm, and after surgical procedures Fr. Athanasy’s arm healed completely. Since that incident Fr. Athanasy has always had a special veneration for St. Anne; he attributes the saving of his arm to St. Anne’s intervention before the Throne of
God.

Since 1996, Fr. Athanasy has been the rector of this church, which Russian immigrants had founded back in 1951. Every August 7 – the feast day of St. Anne - Fr. Athanasy celebrates the Divine Liturgy and anoints the sick with oil blessed on the feast day. The parish has also been able to obtain a relic of St. Anne.

For 3 years the Icon continued to stream myrrh, collected by cotton at the bottom of the Icon. The Icon has been placed in a wooden case with a glass cover. There is no riza (a metal covering). The myrrh dries up during Passion Week before and streams of myrrh begin to resume on Pascha. It has been noticed that the volume of myrrh increases on feast days and when many are gathered in prayer.

Since Pascha 2007, the Icon has dried up, myrrhing only occasionally. The scent or "blagouhanie" is still very strong. Miracles continue to occur and the faithful continue to flock to venerate this miraculous Icon.

There have been a number of myrrh streaming Icons in the Russian Orthodox Church, three of which have appeared in the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (outside the territory of Russia). The first was the Iveron Icon of the Holy Virgin, revealed on November 24, 1982 to Brother Joseph "José" Muñoz Cortés from Chile, at that time living in Montreal, Canada. On Oct. 31, 1997 Brother José was killed in Greece by a foreigner and that Icon has since disappeared.

The Myrrh Streaming Icon of St. Nicholas was revealed in the St. George the Great Martyr Orthodox Church in Michigan City, Indiana on Dec. 19, 1996. The Icon belongs to Fr. Elias Warnke.

The Icon of St. Anne is the third such noted Icon. Pious people view this Icon as a window into Heaven, a channel of God’s grace, and as a consolation gift from God, Who continues to show mercy on His people.

If you receive healing or grace as a result of the miraculous Icon, please write a letter describing it so we can publish and share a collection of its miracles.

Please send requests for prayers and molebens to the address below. You may send the names of living and departed Orthodox Christians, and these lists will be placed on or under the Icon during services.

St. Anne Society, Inc has been formed by a group of persons dedicated to the Icon of St. Anne and helping Fr. Athanasy handle the increasing burden of travel and special requests for the Icon. A separate brochure has been printed about the Society. To obtain additional information about the Icon, please contact:

St. Anne Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 160
Hockessin, DE 19707

You can also forward invitations to have Fr. Athanasy visit with the holy Icon to the address listed below. Fr. Athanasy holds regular Sunday Liturgies every week at the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady in Philadelphia, so it is virtually impossible for him to travel elsewhere on Sundays. Due to Father Athanasy’s ill health, it is difficult for him to travel long distances.

Arrangements can be made, if transportation and other issues are discussed in advance. Father needs to be contacted directly and will make every effort to accommodate the invitation. However, demands for Father Athanasy’s time can be overwhelming at times and Father Athanasy requests a little understanding if he is unable to fulfill every request. Being the Guardian of the holy Icon, Father Athanasy regrets that he is unable to lend the Icon out to anyone. Father tries to accommodate all the faithful who wish to venerate the holy Icon
by inviting them to attend Liturgy on Sunday every week.

The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Athanasy (Mastalski)
Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady "Joy of All Who Sorrow"
560 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130 USA