One of the many joys I found in coming into the Anglican Church was learning about the saints that appear on our church calendar. Some of them I knew something about (e.g. St Peter); others I had either not heard of, or knew little about them. The benefit of moving around several churches is that I was able to learn something of the saint after whom they were named.

Today we are marking the feast day of St Anne, mother of St Mary. As with a number of our church saints, there is little known about her that can be factually proved, as she is not even mentioned by name in the gospels. However some details have been put forward by later generations, which may or may not have been based upon any known facts of her life – we just don’t have any way of knowing. Mary’s parents are said to be Anne and Joachim. Like Hannah, the mother of Samuel, they were a childless couple who prayed to God for their lack of children and were promised a child, whom they gave to the Temple when she was still an infant – this also echoes the story of Hannah and Samuel.

In some ways what we don’t know is not as important as what we can deduce from the willingness of Mary to be obedient to God’s will. When we consider Mary’s role in the incarnation of Jesus, that is reason indeed to celebrate St Anne today, and to give thanks for her parenting that modelled such obedience and joy to her daughter.

Last Wednesday the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into State and Faith-Based Care was released. Our Archbishops have released a statement in response to the report, which will be read at the service this Sunday, and our Church has set out procedures for survivors who want to have their story heard. Please keep in your prayers those who suffered abuse and who continue to be affected by it.

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