Daily Prayers

Prayer is Love, I want to Love

Anne Line (Higham)

St Anne (1567 – 1601) was born into a protestant family in Essex, England. She converted to Catholicism with her brother and husband but by doing so, she sacrificed her family marriage dowry.

Image of St Anne Line

Following St Anne’s husband’s death in 1554, she took charge of a secure house which hid Catholic Priests from Queen Elizabeth I’s Royal purge against Catholics. She resided there for about three years. However, her inevitable familiarity within the community meant that the “safe-houses” had to be moved to offer the same high level of protection to Catholic Priests and their devoted faithful so, with them, St Anne would also go.

In February 1601, St Anne’s cover was broken when a large number of people were observed entering a house in which a Mass was planned. She was arrested and imprisoned. St Anne was tried on 26th February for harbouring a Catholic Priest and found guilty; she didn’t deny the charge.

On 27th February St Anne was hanged, aged 33yrs, in front of two Catholic Priests awaiting their own execution (Rev. Fr. Roger Filcock, Rev. Fr. Mark Barkworth). Her Feast Day is 27th February. St Anne is one of the noted forty English and Welsh Martyrs.

(Note: Both her brother and husband were imprisoned for their religious faith and practice but, unlike St Anne, avoided execution.)


St Anne Line:

Pray for us that we will be forever true to our faith and a daily example to everyone who meets us.

Glory be to the…