St. Anne Line shares her feast with the two other female martyrs who were canonised among the forty martyrs of England & Wales. As I have mentioned before on this blog, I chose her because I liked her reply to her judges, when asked if she repented of the "crime" of harbouring a Catholic priest.
"So far am I from repenting that I would I could have harboured a thousand."
Once I chose her as my patron, I found that we had lots in common. She helped to prepare for Mass to be celebrated in the safehouse she kept (which ultimately led to her arrest), she had poor health, she taught children the Faith, and took private vows.
I tend to remember her in February (She was arrested on Candlemas - 2nd February - and martyred on 27th February) more than August, but there's no harm in celebrating twice a year!
Happy feast day!
ReplyDeleteI've read your St. Anne Line posts. What a woman! I hope if I am ever hauled before a tribunal for being Catholic, like she was, that I will have as much pluck and courage as she did.
ReplyDeleteYour post about your pilgrimage to her churches put me in mind of some of my own experiences with the saints (e.g., with Bl. Margaret of Castello, about which I have blogged, and with St. Thomas Aquinas, about which I have not blogged), but especially St. Therese of Lisieux's account of her encounter in a dream with Mother Anne of Jesus, foundress of Carmel in France, to whom she had given very little thought up to that point, and which taught her something about the Communion of Saints.
Thanks for teaching me about a new saint today! I love that quote you give. It's extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteHappy feast, Mac!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with all the English and Welsh martyrs!
I feel such connection with them through my Anglo-Celtic blood (even if I'm American!).
I pray we all have the grace, from their intercession, to be faithful to the Faith of our Fathers; we're gonna need it here and elsewhere with the "coming storm", I'm afraid.
Prayers and blessing! FrJM
A belated Happy Feast Day, Mac !
ReplyDelete(It was a bit of a muddle for me; because it was an Oratorian one in one kalendar, a Dominican one in another . . . Still, I suppose the real answer is that we need them all, all of the time; and that they probably don't mind us getting a little bewildered !)