The feast day of St Anna is commemorated on 9 December.
According to the tradition of the Church, Saint Anna was barren and she and her husband, Joacheim, remained childless until her old age.
Praying for a child, the couple promised God that they would offer her their offspring were He to grant them a child.
An Angel informed them that their prayers would come true and that Anna would give birth to the Virgin Mary.
She conceived and became the mother of the mother of Jesus Christ and later became the maternal grandmother of Jesus.
Mary’s mother is not named in the canonical gospels, however her name comes from the New Testament and is mentioned in the Gospel of James written circa 150AD.
Anna received little attention in the Latin Church prior to the late 12th century, however it is mentioned in Eastern Christianity as early as the 6th century.
Anna is also revered in Islam and recognised as a highly spiritual woman and as the mother of Mary. In the Quran she is not named, however is referred to as “The wife of Imran” who remained childless until her old age.