A Prayer to Saint Anne, Mother of Mary

To Imitate Her Virtues

Statue of Saint Anne in Saint Anne's Church, Mackinac Island, Michigan. (Photo © Scott P. Richert)
Statue of Saint Anne with the Blessed Virgin Mary in Saint Anne's Church, Mackinac Island, Michigan. (Photo © Scott P. Richert)

Saint Anne and her husband Saint Joachim are traditionally believed to have been the parents of the Virgin Mary. Mary's parents are not mentioned in the Bible, but they are described at length in the later (apocryphal) Gospel of James, written around 145 CE.

The Story of Saint Anne

According to James, Anne (whose name in Hebrew is Hannah) was from Bethlehem. Her husband, Joachim, was from Nazareth. Both are described as descendants of King David. Anne and Joachim had no children though they were good and devout people. Childlessness, at the time, was considered a sign of God's displeasure, and so the leaders of the Temple rejected Joachim. Saddened, he went into the desert to pray for forty days and nights. At the same time, Anne also prayed. She asked God to favor her with a child in her older years, as He had favored Sarah (the mother of Isaac) and Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist).

Anne and Joaquim's prayers were answered, and Anne gave birth to a daughter. The two were so grateful that they brought her to the Temple to be raised. At the age of fourteen, Mary was given to Joseph as his bride-to-be.

Beliefs Surrounding Saint Anne

Saint Anne became an important figure in the early Christian church; many celebrations related to Anne were also closely tied to the Virgin Mary. By 550 CE, a church was built in Anne's honor in Constantinople. Much later, Anne became the official patroness of the Province of Quebec. She is also the patron saint of housewives, women in labor, cabinet makers and miners. Her sign is a door. 

Prayer to Saint Anne

In this prayer to Saint Anne, we ask the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for us so that we may grow in love for Christ and His Mother.

With my heart full of the most sincere venerations, I prostrate myself before thee, O glorious Saint Anne. Thou art that creature of privilege and predilection, who by thy extraordinary virtues and holiness didst merit from God the high favor of giving life to her who is the Treasury of all graces, blessed among women, the Mother of the Word Incarnate, the most holy Virgin Mary. By virtue of so lofty a privilege, do thou deign, O most compassionate saint, to receive me into the number of thy true clients, for so I profess myself and so I desire to remain throughout my entire life.

Shield me with thine effectual patronage and obtain for me from God the power to imitate those virtues wherewith thou wast so plentifully adorned. Grant that I may know and weep over my sins in bitterness of heart. Obtain for me the grace of most active love for Jesus and Mary, and resolution to fulfill the duties of my state of life with faithfulness and constancy. Save me from every danger that confronts me in life, and help me at the hour of death, that so I may come in safety to paradise, there to sing with thee, O most happy mother, the praises of the Word of God made Man in the mother of thy most pure daughter, the Virgin Mary. Amen.

  • Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (three times)
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Richert, Scott P. "A Prayer to Saint Anne, Mother of Mary." Learn Religions, Aug. 25, 2020, learnreligions.com/saint-anne-mother-of-mary-prayer-542753. Richert, Scott P. (2020, August 25). A Prayer to Saint Anne, Mother of Mary. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/saint-anne-mother-of-mary-prayer-542753 Richert, Scott P. "A Prayer to Saint Anne, Mother of Mary." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/saint-anne-mother-of-mary-prayer-542753 (accessed March 29, 2024).