St. Anne is honoured as the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. With her husband St. Joachim she is the patron of grandparents, and she is asked to pray for mothers, for women in labour and for couples hoping for a child.
Below are prayers to St. Anne, short prayers, a novena before her feast on 26 July, and what tradition tells about her.
Prayers to St. Anne
A prayer to St. Anne
Good St. Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, you raised a daughter full of grace and faithful to God. Pray for me and my family. Obtain for me the favour I ask: (name your request), if it is God’s will. Help me to love and serve God with the faith and patience you showed all your life. Amen.
A prayer to St. Anne for a child
St. Anne, tradition tells that you and Joachim waited many years for a child. You know the longing of a couple who hope for a baby. Pray for us. Ask God to bless us with a child if it is His will, and to give us peace and trust while we wait. Amen.
A grandparent’s prayer to St. Anne
St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, pray for my grandchildren. Keep them safe, help them grow in faith, and help me to be a loving and wise presence in their lives. Amen.
Short Prayers
- Good St. Anne, pray for us.
- St. Anne and St. Joachim, pray for our family.
- St. Anne, pray for mothers and their children.
Novena to St. Anne
A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer for one intention. Each day, pray the main prayer above, name your intention, then pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be. Many people pray it from 17 to 25 July so that it ends on the eve of the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne on 26 July.
Who Was St. Anne?
The Bible does not name Mary’s parents. Their names, Joachim and Anne, come from an early Christian writing called the Protoevangelium of James, which tells that they were childless for many years before Mary was born. Devotion to St. Anne spread from the East to the whole Church.
Tradition places Mary’s birthplace near the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where the Crusader Church of St. Anne still stands, a short walk from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Scripture
“Children’s children are a crown to the aged.” Proverbs 17:6 (NIV)
“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 (NIV)
Questions People Ask
Who was St. Anne?
According to early Christian tradition, the mother of the Virgin Mary, married to St. Joachim.
When is St. Anne’s feast day?
26 July, together with St. Joachim.
Is St. Anne the patron saint of grandmothers?
Yes, together with St. Joachim she is patron of grandparents, and she is also asked to pray for mothers and women hoping for a child.
Can I send a prayer to St. Anne through Holy Land Prayer?
We do not send prayers to a shrine of St. Anne. What we do is carry prayers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: you can write a prayer asking for this saint’s intercession in the form at the top of this page, and we will place it inside one of the chapels, where a priest prays it in English.
Who Writes These Prayers
The Holy Land Prayer team writes the prayers on this page. Traditional prayers are given in the form used in Catholic devotion. Scripture is quoted from the New International Version.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
A Prayer from St. Anne’s City
Tradition remembers the home of Anne and Joachim in Jerusalem’s Old City, where the Church of St. Anne stands today. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in the same Old City. If you would like a prayer for your family, a grandchild or a hoped-for child carried there, write it in the form at the top of this page. We print it, place it in one of the church’s chapels and light a candle for you, and a priest prays it in English. You receive photographs of the prayer and the candle by email. See how it works.
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