# Novena to St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
*2015-07-17*

> Bill Young leads a novena prayer to St. Joachim and St. Anne, asking for their intercession and reflecting on recent tragedies involving U.S. Marines.

## Opening Prayer and Intentions

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Before we begin the novena to St. Joachim and St. Anne, let us pray for the four Marines who were killed yesterday in Tennessee, and for their families. May the Blessed Virgin protect those who protect us—our armed forces, police, firefighters, and all who serve in peace and war.

## The Novena and Its Origin

The novena to St. Joachim and St. Anne runs from today, July 17, through July 25, with their feast day on July 26. According to tradition, St. Joachim appeared to a devotee and promised great reward for establishing a feast in honor of the parents of the Virgin Mary. We invoke the Holy Trinity: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

We recite the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth… I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”

## Prayer to St. Anne

Blessed St. Anne, you who were chosen to be the mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, we admire your great vocation and the graces you received from God. Help us to live in humble openness and gratitude, loving our brothers and sisters as you loved your daughter. Grant us the grace to accept all trials with patience, to grow in prayer, and to offer our lives as a sacrifice for God’s will. May we imitate your charity, humility, and steadfast trust, so that we may merit the protection of Mary and receive the heavenly graces promised to us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

## Prayer to St. Joachim

O glorious St. Joachim, chosen among the saints to cooperate with divine mysteries, we thank you for your intercession. We place before you our spiritual and material needs, and the particular graces we seek for ourselves and our families. Grant us detachment from worldly possessions, a constant love for Jesus and Mary, fidelity to the Church and the Holy Father, and the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. May our souls be saved through your powerful intercession.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

*May St. Joachim and St. Anne inspire us to live lives of humble service, trusting in God’s grace.*