July 25: The Church honors the Dormition of the Mother of God Saint Annetranslated

Today our Church honors the Dormition of the Mother of God Anne, the Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The former barren Anna, Joachim's wife, after giving birth and weaning the Virgin Mary and dedicating her, at the age of 3, to the temple, spent the rest of her life in prayer, fasting and exercise. At the age of about 70, she departed to the Lord, having emerged as a benefactor of humanity, by giving birth to Maryam, the mother of Jesus Christ and Savior of the world. Saint Anna came from the tribe of Levi. Her father, who was a priest, was called Matthan and he was a priest during the reign of Cleopatra. And her mother was called Maria.

Anna also had two sisters, the one with the same name as her mother Maria and Sovin. And Mary, who married in Bethlehem, had a daughter Salome the midwife, and Sovi, who also married in Bethlehem, Elizabeth. Finally, Saint Anna who married Joachim in Galilee gave birth to the Virgin Mary.

Saint Anna was claimed to have the great honor and happiness of having an only daughter, the mother of the Savior of the world. After Saint Anna weaned the Virgin and dedicated her to God, she spent the rest of her life fasting,…