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Episcopal Church Women
Mission Statement
We are Episcopal Church Women committed to one another and
called to be witnesses of Christ.
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St. Anne, Grandmother of Our Savior
our theme for 2009:
GRANDPARENT LOVE
by Bishop
Parsley
See pages our of Calendar Handbook for beautiful images of
St. Anne and also cartoons by Bill McLemore
The name of the mother of the Virgin Mary is
not found in the Holy Bible, but according to tradition and
legend, her name was Anne, which in Hebrew means “Grace”.
So, how did her name become so commonly known? It is found
in The Infancy Gospel of James as well as in many other
writings. In fact the details of her life given in the
James Gospel show why she is so honored among women.
Before the birth of the Virgin Mary, both Anne and her husband,
Joachim, were
visited by angels who prepared them for her birth.
St. Anne was known as an intelligent, caring
person. Even as a young child she was a healer, and remained so
her whole life and after her death. Other than the Virgin
Mary, St. Anne is the saint most prayed to in intercessory
prayers. Frequently prayers, especially those spoken by
women, are started by, “St. Anne, Grandmother of Our Savior,
pray for us.”
St. Anne is the patron saint of numerous
churches, places such as the provinces of Brittany and Quebec
and is the Patron Saint of Homemakers, Single Women, Birth,
Sickness, Mothers, etc. Because of the many
festivals and events dedicated to her, some of the material
about her is wonderful folk lore. This includes prayers
such as “I beg you, holy mother Anne, send me a good and loving
man.”
Hopefully those who use this calendar/handbook
will find it educational as well as uplifting.
Perhaps it will bring back memories of our own grandmothers, as
well as memories of being, or hoping to be, a grandmother.
There is a large amount of information about St. Anne in
libraries and on the internet. Those of us who have worked
on this calendar feel like we have gotten a
“Ph.D. in St. Anne”. It’s been fun and very informative.
Gethryn S. Giles, Calendar Editor
Thank you to Joan Byrum, Marsha Hurt and Kelly Stephenson for
assistance.
PRAYER TO
SAINT ANNE
Glorious Saint Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke thee,
and with
love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my trouble,
I cast myself
at thy feet and humbly beg of thee to take the present affair which I
recommend
under thy special protection.
Vouchsafe to recommend it to thy Daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
lay it
before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to
intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me
the grace of
one day beholding my God face to face, and with Thee and Mary and all
the Saints,
praising and blessing Him to all eternity. Amen.
Hymn to Saint Anne
Spotless Anna!
Juda’s glory!
Through the
Church, from East to West,
Ev’ry tongue
proclaims thy praises,
Holy Mary’s
Mother blest.
Saintly kings
and priestly sires
Blended in thy
sacred line;
Thou in
virtue, all before thee
Didst excell
by grace divine.
Linked in
bonds of purest wedlock,
Thine it was
for us to bear,
By the favor
of high Heaven,
Our eternal
Virgin Star.
From thy stem
in beauty budded
Ancient
Jesse’s mystic rod;
Earth from
thee received the Mother
Of th’almighty
Son of God.
All the human
race benighted
In the depths
of darkness lay,
When in Anne
it saw the dawning
Of the long
expected day.
Honor, glory,
virtue, merit,
Be to Thee, O
Virgin's Son!
With the
Father and the Spirit,
While eternal
ages run.
-Edward
Caswall,
From The
Dominican Hymn book,
Published by
Burns and Oates,
London, 1881.
Resources for further study:
St. Anne, Grandmother of our Savior by Frances
Parkinson Keyes
The Infancy Gospel of James
The Story of Mary of Nazareth Who Lived with Her Son for
Thirty Years |
Previous Yearly Themes:
More
Study Resources
From past ECW Speakers
Book Reviews and Mentions
return to main Study page
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Blessed Is She Who Believes
On, Mary, our theme for 2008:
Blessed Is She Who Believes
by Bishop
Parsley
See pages our of
Calendar Handbook for beautiful images of Mary and The
Annunciation and cartoons by Bill McLemore
The overall theme of the 2008 Calendar Handbook is
FAITH, and to me, who more exemplifies a person of such
deep and unconditional faith as that of the Virgin Mary.
The verse “Blessed is she who believed” comes from Luke
1:45 when Elizabeth expresses to Mary, “…blessed among
women are you,…and blessed is she who believed.”
Many believe the early
writings that told of Mary being raised in the temple,
others believe she could have tended a flock, worked in
the home cooking and making her own clothes, studied the
uses of medicinal herbs, and learned the history, customs
and laws of her ancestors. Whatever her childhood was, it
prepared her for becoming what some have called the first
disciple of Christ. Just imagine a young woman of around
13 being approached by an angel with an amazing request.
She must have realized that her life would change, but did
she imagine the hardships, the announcement of a virgin
with child, the birth in a stable, the rejection of those
around her, the crucifixion, and the joy of resurrection?
Whatever her thoughts and fears, her faith allowed her to
say to the Angel Gabriel, “...let it be with me according
to your word.”
What is it about faith that
allows each of us to accept an opportunity to change our
lives and follow where God leads us? It is my hope that as
you read through this calendar, the words and prayers will
challenge you to think about your own faith. For this
theme on faith, “blessed” has been changed to the present
tense because we all have the opportunity to listen, to
respond to God when he calls for the great or small things
in life with a firm “yes,” and to be called “blessed is
she who believes.”
Dee Buzby
Calendar Editor
Thank you to Susan B. Barnes for her assistance with this
calendar/handbook.
Resources for further study on our 2008 theme:
• In Search of Mary, Sally Cunneen, Ballantine Books,
1996.
• Mary, A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin
Mother, Lesley Hazleton, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004.
• “Strength of Women Found in the Strength of Mary,”
Elizabeth Welch,
www.allsaintssanfran.org, 2005.
• “Surprised by Mary, Taking a Fresh Look at the Holy
Virgin,” © Jon M. Sweeney,
www.explorefaith.org, 2006. The complete article is
available at
www.explorefaith.org.
Calendar Cover
Image: The
Annunciation, Fra Angelico, Italian, C. 1387-1455 |
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And
All Shall Be Well
On Julian of Norwich, our theme for 2007:
A DISTANT SAINT &
UNCONQUERABLE HOPE
by Bishop
Parsley
Comments by Dee Buzby, 2007 Calendar Editor and
President Elect:
The theme of the 2007
calendar handbook, "And All Shall Be Well," comes from
the words of Dame Julian of Norwich who lived in 14th
century England. In her early thirties and during a
near-fatal illness, Dame Julian experienced 16 "Showings,"
and spent the remainder of her years studying, praying,
and writing about these visions from God. As an Anchoress,
Dame Julian lived secluded in a cell attached to the
church in Norwich, and through a window she counseled
those who came for her advice. These writings in her book,
Revelations of Devine Love, not only speak of her
revelations of Christ’s death, human sin and the Trinity,
but also of her belief in God’s complete unconditional
love for all humanity and that Divine love can bring
something good from any circumstance. This love is seen
through the eyes of Brother Robert Lentz, who wrote the
icon displayed on the calendar handbook cover.
Thomas Merton wrote that Julian of Norwich was one of the most
wonderful of all Christian voices and a great English
theologian. Julian of Norwich was commemorated as a Saint
in the Church of England on May 8, 1980.
In our busy lives and the uncertainties in the world around us, it
is my prayer that you will find comfort, strength and
courage in Dame Julian’s words, "and all shall be well,"
to persevere and to stand firm in your belief that God
loves each one of us. As Dame Julian wrote, "in all things
God is the creator, the protector, and the lover and that
he delights in each and every one of us."
Dee Buzby, Calendar Editor
Resources for further study of Julian:
• "A Conversation with Julian of Norwich on Religious
Experience", Dr. Roberta Bondi, Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2002.
• Order of Julian of Norwich, lwlyhse@mhtc.net
• Julian of Norwich, Gloria Durka, St. Mary’s
Press, 1989.
• Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love,
translated by Elizabeth Spearing, Penguin Press, 1998.
• An Internet search yields many websites on Julian of
Norwich.
Below are more sources and information
sent to us by various people.
March 28, 2007 from The Rev. Huey
Gardner:
January 22, 2007 from Mary Olson:
Click here for several short bits of background material about the
life and times of Julian of Norwich
8/2/06:
Andi Silberman, Diocesan
DOK
president, sends this for our consideration:
Presiding Bishop Elect
Katharine Jefferts Schori made a reference in her first homily
(post election) to "mother Jesus". It is new and powerful to have
a woman in this position. As you know, these feminine images are
quotes from Julian of Norwich. This reference to "mother Jesus"
was first made in the 14th Century by Julian of Norwich. Please
go here for more information about this reference:
www.gloriana.nu/mother.htm. If you have not read PB
elect Jefferts Schori's homily in its entirety, please go here:
www.ecusa.anglican.org/75383_76300_ENG_HTM.htm
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Our 2005 ECW theme (Mary Magdalene) took on
a life of its own!
 Jan. 24, 2007 from
Mary
Earle, 2005 Fall Conference Speaker:
I thought you lovely women from Alabama might like to know
about this development: because of doing the Mary
Magdalene program for your fall gathering in 2005, I ended
up presenting a workshop using that material. My colleague
Jane Patterson used some of her material as well. That
workshop was professionally taped and packaged, and is now
available from Viva Books in San Antonio.
Here's the link
http://vivabooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9781890498245
In a very true sense, this would not have happened if
Olivia had not first invited me to offer that particular
program.
Many thanks, Mary
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