Good St Anne

St Anne, Grandmother of God - that is the arresting title the Easterners give to the mother of Our Lady. Her name, and that of her husband, St Joachim, are known to us through sacred Tradition; by obvious deduction, one chosen to immaculately conceive, to bring forth, to nourish, to educate and edify the Virgin chosen to be the Theotokos must herself have been graced and holy to a high degree. Leo XIII had great devotion to SS Anne and Joachim, for his own parents bore their names, and raised their feasts to the rank of the 2nd class. As we are in process of moving the Latin Mass chaplaincy in Perth from the Pro-Cathedral to St Anne's, Belmont, her feast is one to particularly commemorate. Here is the proper collect:

Deus, qui beatæ Annæ gratiam conferre dignatus es, ut Genitricis unigeniti Filii tui mater effici mereretur: concede propitius; ut, cujus solemnia celebramus, ejus apud te patrociniis adjuvemur. Per eumdem Dominum...

O God, Who didst deign to confer on blessed Anne the grace that she might deserve to be made the mother of the Birthgiver of Thine Onlybegotten Son, favourably grant, that we may be aided by her patronage with Thee, whose solemnities we celebrate. Through the same...

UPDATE

While we haven't yet moved to St Anne's - Justin will be coming over later in August to do more important work, assembling the altar, pulpit, rails, etc. - one of our parishioners, Rosemary, decided to fly over to Sydney for the sung Mass at St Anne's, Bondi, yesterday, and to venerate there the relic of Good St Anne: part of her wristbone. No doubt the prayers and sacrifices ascending to heaven draw down great blessings upon us, who must strive to form ourselves as devout clients of our patroness-elect:

V/. Pray for us, blessed Anne.
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.