Saint Anne
Feast day: July 26
Saint Anne, Mary’s mother and Jesus’ grandmother, patron of mothers and grandparents (26/07)
Who is she?
Saint Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. The Church celebrates her together with her husband, Saint Joachim, the couple who brought into the world and raised the Mother of the Savior.
Life story
The Gospels do not mention the name of Mary’s mother. The name Anne is found in a very old book, written around the second century, called the Protoevangelium of James. This book is not part of the Bible, but since ancient times the Church has kept her name and honored her.
According to that tradition, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim lived holy lives but had no children for many years. They were very sad, but they kept on praying. God answered their prayer and gave them a daughter, Mary.
The Church believes that from the very moment Mary was conceived in Saint Anne’s womb, God kept her free from every stain of original sin. This is what the Church celebrates on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mary was conceived and born like every other baby, but God prepared her in a special way to be the Mother of Jesus.
According to the devotion of the faithful, Saint Anne taught her daughter to pray and to love God’s Law. That is why pictures and statues often show her opening a book to teach the little Mary, or show three generations together: Saint Anne, Mary and the Child Jesus.
Why is she a saint?
The Bible does not tell us anything Saint Anne did. The Church honors her because she trusted God, prayed patiently, and in a holy family loved and raised Mary, who would become the Mother of Jesus. The quiet work of this mother helped bring about God’s plan of salvation.
A lesson for you
- Be grateful to your grandparents and parents who taught you about God, and pray for them every day.
- Study your catechism and pray with your family, just as the young Mary learned from her mother.
- When you hope for something, pray patiently and trust God like Saint Anne.
Identifying marks
- She opens a book to teach the little Mary: the best-known picture of her, a mother teaching her child God’s Word.
- The little Mary standing beside her, in a blue veil, with a halo: the daughter God gave to Anne and Joachim.
- A red dress, a green mantle and a white veil: the colors she usually wears in pictures and statues.
- Holding Mary and the Child Jesus (*): three generations, grandmother, mother and Son.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Collect this card and read more about the saints in the app