St. Anne, Patroness of Detroit St. Anne was named by the Vatican
as the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Detroit. We honor the
mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayerfully ask for her
intercession. One may pray to any saint for any intention, but a
patron saint is seen as the particular advocate for a chosen
place or activity. St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Though she is not mentioned by name in the Bible, we know
of her through early Christian writings, the most important of
which is the Protoevangelium of James, written in about 150 A.D.
We are told that Anne, the wife of Joachim, was advanced in
years before her prayers for a child were answered. An angel
appeared and told her she would conceive a child who "shall be
spoken of in all the world." St. Anne's feast day is celebrated
on July 26. She is known as the patron saint of equestrians,
housewives, women in labor, cabinet-makers, and miners. Devotion
to St. Anne became popular in the Christian East by the fourth
century, and t