Novena to St. Anne

 When you walk down the road with the saints in your life, you very often are blessed to get a sense of their personalities -- and we have been blessed to learn that the mother of Mary, the grandmother of Our Lord is a practical saint, full of humor and affection, wise and loving, and very attentive to our requests. 

 One of our dearest heavenly friends, we  named our fourth daughter "Anna" for her.  She has been my constant companion through the years, beginning as my labor partner through all our child births, up until my initiation into the world of grandmotherhood. I can't imagine going through this next phase of my life without her by my side.   I cannot recommend her friendship enough!

To learn a little bit about the life and traditions of St. Anne, go here.


Many people begin their novenas to end the day before the feast, but we've always scheduled ours to end on the feast itself. One way or another, I don't expect it matters much to St. Anne when you remember her and beg her intercession, though!

Novena to
GLORIOUS SAINT ANNE,


Filled with compassion
For those who invoke you
And with love for those who suffer,
Heavily laden with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet
And humbly beg you
To take the present affair
Which I commend to you
Under your special protection.

(Mention the request.)
Deign to commend it to your daughter,
The Blessed Virgin Mary,
And lay it before the throne of Jesus,
So that He may bring it to a happy issue.

Cease not to intercede for me
until my request is granted.

Above all,
Obtain for me the grace
Of one day beholding my God
Face to face,
And with you and Mary
And all the saints,
Praising and blessing Him
for all eternity.
Pray for us, St. Anne.
That we may be made worthy
Of the promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray

O Almighty and eternal God,
Who chose St. Anne
To bring into the world
The Mother of Your only Son,
Mercifully grant to us,
We beseech You,
Who devoutly honor her memory,
Grace to obtain through her merits,
The blessings of eternal life.
Who lives and reigns
The world without end.
Amen.
Good St. Anne,
Mother of her who is our life,
Our sweetness and our hope,
Pray for me. Amen
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
* My apologies for having posted this so late that it's almost too late to make the first day of these novena to end on the feast day.  It's been a long and unusual day, filled with the unexpected pleasure of getting to spend a special mother-daughter day with Cathy (10), but overshadowed by a great sorrow in our world.  We had news today that someone very near and dear to us, a very special friend from our parish, is lying on her deathbed, soon to go to God.  The mother of sixteen children and the grandmother to countless grandchildren, Jan was a wise friend to all of us and a truly beloved grandmother to all the children of our parish, including our kids.  I don't know anyone as loved as Jan.  She will be sorely, sorely missed here on earth, but a wonderful addition to heaven.   We pray for her soul that she sees God face to face as quickly as possible, but, to be honest, we're not worried that it'll take long.  We can easily imagine her enjoying the perfect gardens of heaven and looking down to earth at the gardens she worked so hard to build here. 
 
My petition to St. Anne in this novena is that I can learn from my wise and dear friend's examples of wisdom, charity, hard work and faith.  God bless her.  And bless us who are left here without her.