While we may often reflect on the virtues of the Virgin Mary, we seldom reflect on her mother, St. Anne, except during the upcoming Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It must have been quite special to raise a sinless little girl. Surely St. Anne gave Mary a loving home, where she in turn learned to provide a nurturing home to her child, the Son of God.
Similarly, St. Ann’s Home in Guyana provides a nurturing home to little girls. But their childhoods contrast sharply to what I imagine the Virgin Mary’s childhood must have been like. Many of them were rescued from abuse and neglect, and taken from alcoholic or drug-addicted parents.
These hurting souls come to St. Ann’s Home for food, shelter and clothing. There they also find safety and stability; they learn to develop positive social skills; and, through the loving caregivers as well as the Ursuline Sisters who run the home, they meet Jesus.
-Nola B.