The Monthly Note
July 2010
"The Grand mother"
by an anonymous author
On the roads of Quebec and of France, arriving from all parts of the country by car, motorcycle and even by foot, great number of devotes converge to a shrine dedicated to «Good Saint Ann», for a feast day on July 26th. Novenas will be preached here and there. Many saints have beautifully preached about Saint Ann; many Dominicans have lovingly celebrated and not without magnificence, the worthiness of Jesus` grandmother, the mother of Mary. Saint Ann is the Patron Saint of the Province of Quebec. She gives her protection to navigators, but also to sculptors, goldsmiths, dressmakers, vagrants and miners.
The Bible does not mention Saint Ann. According to many apocryphal Gospels written between the second and sixth centuries, the protogospel of James and the Pseudo-Matthew, this renowned stranger with a common name is believed to be the mother of the Virgin Mary and, thus, the grandmother of Jesus. Saint Ann`s life was inspired by Hannah`s and her son, the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament. The saint is usually portrayed teaching her daughter Mary how to read.
Apparently, Saint Ann appeared to a peasant by the name of Yves Nicolazic. In September 1624, Saint Ann declared to the humble plowman, chosen to be her messenger: « All the treasures of Heaven are in my hands. » He asked of him the construction of a chapel in her honour, in the village of Ker-Anna. The Bishop of Vannes authorized the worship of the saint and the chapel became a basilica over the years. The end of the Middle Ages saw the peak of her cult, that we can see with the multitude of statues depicting Ann, Mary and the infant Jesus, called « Marian Trinities », in parallel with the Holy Trinity. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV added the solemn feast of Saint Ann to the calendar. In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII established her solemn feats on July 26th and officialised her worship. In 1996, John Paul II went to pray to pray Saint Ann at her Breton shrine. He was the first Pope to travel to Brittany.
Let us draw from these priceless treasures of piety and tradition and, with all the pilgrims from all over the world, let us pray, during this month of July, « good Saint Ann », the one that God predestined to be the Grand mother of His beloved Son, Jesus, the long awaited Messiah. For twenty centuries, Saint Ann intercedes specially in favour of families and helps those who are in danger of losing their faith. The countless favours received all over the world through her intercession, prove her great importance on the Immaculate Heart of Mary, mediator of all graces and her divine Son, Saviour of the World. Let us turn with infinite trust and a with great affection to the most illustrious and the most almighty of all grandmothers and pray:
O Saint Ann, my family is the center of my life. It is my little Church.
Protect us and keep us from all physical and spiritual danger. In your happy
home lived Joachim, your spouse, and your little Mary. Later, you lovingly welcomed
your son-in-law, Saint Joseph, and especially your Grandson Jesus, our Saviour.
May your family inspire us. Increase in us our act of welcoming, our dialog and our mutual support. May a deep love unite us, parents and children. If my family is broken up by separation and divorce, be for us the saint of tenderness and lead us to God in hope.
Saint Ann, wife, mother and grandmother, bless all the members of my family. Keep us faithful to the Lord. Make us more aware of the needs of other families and protect them Amen.
