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Hi, Marie —
Thanks for the question.
I'm answering this because it doesn't
appear to be the type of question
someone would get as a homework assignment,
but I may be wrong.
There is not much we know about St.
Anne, despite the fact that one of
the most wondrous and glorious miracles
happened in her womb: the Immaculate
Conception. Though St. Anne, like St. Joachim, were both born with
original sin, Joachim and Anne conceived, in the natural manner of sexual intercourse,
Mary (actually Miriam), Our Blessed
Mother, free from original sin.
In the Constitution Ineffabilis
Deus on December 8, 1854,
Pius IX pronounced and defined that
the Blessed Virgin Mary
in the first instance of her
conception, by
a singular privilege and
grace granted by God, in
view of the merits of Jesus
Christ, the Savior of the
human race, was preserved
exempt from all stain of
original sin.
Many confuse Mary's conception in
the womb of her Mother St. Anne with
Jesus' conception in the womb of
our Blessed Mother.
The Immaculate
Conception happened in St. Anne's
womb, not Our Blessed Mother's
This is why, I personally believe,
the Church should have a more celebratory
spirit when celebrating the Birth
of Mary on September 8th;
maybe make it a solemnity. In the
same way the Ark of the Covenant
had to be pure to hold the Ten Commandments,
so Mary had to be pure to hold the
incarnate God-Man, Jesus.
These were the only resources I found
that may give you insight into her
life, and that of Joachim.
If anyone else has any good recommended
reading on St. Anne please e-mail
me.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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