Do Not Be Afraid

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O God, you chose St. Anne to be the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandmother of our Savior. As I begin this novena, let me honor the faith she handed on. Through her intercession, bless my family across its generations, and hear the longing of my heart. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pause in silence, and bring to mind the intention you are praying for.

In the app, your own saved intention rests here during the silence. The narration stays the same for everyone.

But the angel said to him, Don't be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

To Zechariah, who had prayed long for a child, the angel said: do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. The same God who heard him heard Anne, and hears us. Sometimes the answer comes after years of waiting, when hope has grown thin - but it is heard from the first.

Lord, you told Zechariah not to be afraid, for his prayer had been heard. Calm the fear and discouragement in my own waiting. Through the intercession of St. Anne, assure me that my prayer has reached you, and give me the patience to trust your timing, even when the answer is long in coming. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Good St. Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, you knew the longings of family life and the faithfulness of God. Take my intention into your motherly care and present it to the Lord. Watch over my parents and children, my home and all I love, and obtain for us the grace to hand on faith from one generation to the next. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.