The Sisters of St. Ann
#417 - 645 Fort Street V8W 1G2 Victoria, BC, Canada

July 26 is the feast day of Saint Ann(e). In Christian tradition, Saint Anne is heralded as the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Saint Anne is patroness of grandmothers and is often depicted in art with Mary and Jesus, as she is here in Leonardo Da Vinci's oil painting of 1503, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. (image retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org//File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Vi)

Happy Canada Day! Bonne fête du Canada!

June 24 is the Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day), celebrated as the Fête nationale du Québec. This day is also celebrated in francophone communities across Canada. Bonne Fête de la St. Jean!

162 years ago, on June 5, 1858, four Sisters of St. Ann landed in Victoria after a difficult two-month journey over land and sea from Quebec. Very shortly after their arrival, they established Victoria's first school, initially a small one room cabin with dirt floors. In the years since their arrival, the Sisters of St. Ann have built schools, hospitals and homes across BC, the Yukon and Alaska. Through their ongoing service and commitment to education, health care and social justice, the Sisters of St. Ann continue to support those in need, both here at home and abroad.

Today is the Feast Day of Blessed Mother Marie Anne Blondin, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne, born on this day in Terrebonne, Quebec in 1809.