Who were St Mary and St Anne?

Many churches are dedicated to a saint (holy and spiritual person or notable person) or an event (such as Church of the Resurrection). Here in Moseley, our two churches are dedicated to St Mary and St Anne. So, who were they?

St Mary is one of many Marys found in the bible. Our church is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. She came from a town called Nazareth and her story can be found in all 4 of the Gospels in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). She was married to Joseph and was in many moments of Jesus’ life, including his death on the cross. Her song, known as the Magnificat, can be found in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1: 46-55), where it speaks about justice for the poor and those on the margins.

St Anne was the mother of Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. There is not much known about Anne, except a mention in the Gospel of James which are early writings in a collection known as the apocrypha and not used in the ordinary collection of books in the bible used by the church. She was married to Joachim. It is believed that Anne’s faith was passed on to her daughter Mary, which shaped and grounded Mary’s faith - with words from Deuteronomy, ‘to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength’.

We give thanks for the faithfulness of both St Mary and St Anne, as we hope to demonstrate their love and faith in our community and beyond.