St. Anna Orthodox Saint History and Name Day Information

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The lives of all the saints are important to Orthodox Christians, and learning about these saints is an essential part of our daily lives. We celebrate their feast days as part of our annual church calendar, and those of us who are named after a particular saint will recognize their name days, which take place on the saints’ feast days. Some saints, however, stand out a bit more than others.

Saint Anna is one of these individuals. Known as being the mother of Mary, the Theotokos, she definitely played an important role in the church and in Church history. Her feast day is celebrated on September 9th and the Dormition of Saint Anna is celebrated on July 25th. Anna shares the feast day of September 9th with her husband, Saint Joachim, or the father of the Theotokos. Here’s more information:

About Saint Anna

Saint Anna and Saint Joachim are known for being the parents of the Theotokos. Their story as we know it begins after they had been married for fifty years. Anna was considered barren because after all these years, she wasn’t able to conceive a child. They were devout in their faith, and they gave 1/3 of all they owned to the poor and another 1/3 to their place of worship. They only kept 1/3 for themselves. They lived a peaceful life, but they always longed to have a child of their own. 

Finally, their dream of having a child would come true. The Angel Gabriel appeared to both of them saying that they would have a child whose name was to be Mary. Mary’s role was to be the mother of the Messiah, or the Theotokos. They each promised to raise the child in the Temple and to serve God. When Mary was three years old her parents presented her to the Temple. After that, we know that Mary became the Theotokos and she eventually married Joseph. Anna lived to the age of 69 and Joachim lived until he was 70.

Hymns of Saint Anna

Saint Anna’s feast day is held on September 9th and she celebrates along with her husband, Saint Joachim. Here are the hymns that are sung on this day:

Troparion (Tone 5)

Let us sing praises to Joachim and Anna,

the couple honored by God

(and they are His kinsmen).

They have borne for us the Maiden

who in a manner beyond understanding

gave birth to Him Who though fleshless,

became the incarnate to save the world.

With her they intercede for our souls.

Kontakion (Tone 2)

Anna rejoices, released from her barrenness,

and nurses her most pure child.

She calls all people to glorify Him

As you can see, Saint Anna is important to the Orthodox Christian Church. Her feast day is celebrated on September 9th of each year along with her husband, Joachim. They are the parents of Mary, the Theotokos. In addition, the Dormition of Saint Anna is celebrated on July 25th of each year.  Check the Name Day page for more information about other Orthodox Christian name days.

Source:

Joachim and Anna – Also Source for Image Above

Categorized in: Greek Orthodox Religious Information

This post was written by Greek Boston