St. Ann our Patroness: The name Anne derives from the Hebrew, Hannah, meaning ‘Grace’. Saint Anne was born in Bethlehem and became the wife of Saint Joachim from Nazareth, in Galilee. They were both of the royal House of David, and their lives were wholly occupied in prayer and good works. One thing only was lacking in their twenty years of marriage - they were childless, and this was held as a bitter misfortune among the Jews. Ann and Joachim fasted and prayed to be delivered them from this misfortune. God heard their fervent prayers and thus, Mary was born. She was truly regarded as a child of God, and with the birth of Mary, the elderly Anne began a new life.  Ann and Joachim were compensated for this long and painful waiting by receiving a great privilege, that of becoming the grandparents of Jesus.
 

Ann watched Mary’s every movement with reverent tenderness, and felt herself sanctified by the presence of her immaculate child. But she had vowed her daughter to God, and, when old enough, Mary also consecrated herself to God.  Ann and Joachim educated Mary in the virtues of Faith, Hope, Love, Justice and Prudence, fortitude and temperance, simplicity, chastity, poverty and obedience. When Mary was fourteen, she was engaged to Joseph of Nazareth. Mary corresponded fully with these graces she received thus growing into a saintly person worthy of becoming the mother of God - Jesus Christ
 

​Following the example of St. Ann and as members of this Institute, we are called to restore and enhance the image of God in the youth and reawaken in them the thirst for spirituality that they always carry in their hearts, even if this sometimes takes ambiguous and disconnected forms. To welcome and accompany the young, so that their desire for happiness may be realised, and they become what they are called to be according to their vocation.