Seven Gemstone St Anne Chaplets to Giveaway

St Anne's feast day is not far away now, 26th of July. The novena starts on the 17th and will finish on the 25th, the eve of the feast day. Then on the feast day itself, I will start a thanksgiving novena for graces received.

Also I wanted to give away 5 St Anne packs. Each pack contains a St Anne Chaplet made of gemstones and a beautiful solid bronze, vintage reproduction medal of St Anne de Auray. Each chaplet is valued at approx. $40 - $55 and is heirloom quality with no plated parts. Also I have included a copy of the Good St Anne booklet and holy oil from the St Anne's greatest shrine in the world, St Anne de Beaupre. There is a cover letter and everything is contained in a drawstring bag.

If you would like to enter this draw Email me or leave a comment in this comment box or any time during the novena period leading up to the feast of St Anne, leave a link to your own blog or email address if you are leaving a comment. The draw will take place on St Anne's feast day.

I will draw five names out of a hat and the first lady chosen will have first choice of the packs in that fashion until all the packs are gone.

"Sancte Anne's Beautiful Field of Grace" Chaplet - Won by Becky Y

{You can click on any of the photos here for a larger image}

I made one of the chaplets as a 'first prize' chaplet ~ 'Sancte Anne's Beautiful Field of Grace', though whoever wins first prize can choose the chaplet of their own choice.

The 'Sancte Anne's Beautiful Field of Grace' chaplet contains three extra medals plus a rosary center. I used the St Anne de Beaupre medal for the main chaplet medal and then at each Pater bead I've added other vintage reproduction medals. A Sacred Heart medal for the section dedicated to Our Lord. A miraculous medal at the beginning of the section dedicated to Our Lady. And a St Anne de Auray medal at the section dedicated to St Anne. You can see all of this in the photo above.

"Sancte Anne's Beautiful Field of Grace" Chaplet

The most famous shrine to St Anne in the world is the shrine at de Beaupre in Canada. de Beaupre means 'beautiful field.'

Indeed, St Anne's beautiful field is most bountiful, full of beautiful heavenly flowers of grace as her name suggests. (Anne means 'Grace') The Pater Beads represent those 'heavenly flowers of grace'. On a site dedicated to St Anne deBeaupre they describe the local autumn as this:

"Canada is famous for the rich tapestry of colours in the Autumn and the first small frost brings about changes of such magnificence it takes the breath away - golds, reds, browns, rusts and evergreens. "

It is these autumn colours that are captured in the chaplet.

Beautiful, vintage reproduction medals..and the rose Pater beads..

**o0o**

"Merciful, Healing Pool of Bethseda" Chaplet - Won by Mary Van Erd

This chaplet is made up of Rainforest Jaspers in both the large, cross shaped Pater beads and the Ave beads. Czech fire-polished nature mix of 4mm beads are scattered throughout.
St Anne's home was beside the Pool of Bethseda in Jerusalem. Bethseda means "House of Mercy" which is very telling. Our Lord was born in Bethlehem which means the "House of Bread" and so we can be sure that St Anne and her Immaculate Daughter born there, are merciful mothers..

"Merciful, Healing Pool of Bethseda" Chaplet

Life and vitality sprang forth from the Pool of Bethseda, not only from the angelic stirring of the waters, Our Lord's healing of the paralytic and also that it was the legendary spot from where the Tree of Life had rested deep in the pool for a millennia or more ~ one day to became the wood of the Cross of Christ but ALSO that the shoot from the Tree of Jesse issued forth from this hallowed and sacred ground in the person of Mary the Mother of God, as this was the home of St Anne and the birthplace of Our Lady. The colours of the chaplet reflect that new life, that new hope.

The medal is the vintage reproduction medal of St Anne de Auray. Isn't this a beautiful gemstone and don't you think the pattern on the Pater beads look like lichen on a mossy rock by a quiet pool?

**o0o**

"Yves' Spring of Healing" Chaplet - Won by Gloria from Smoothing Stones

This St Anne chaplet also has eye catching gemstones. The Pater bead is a 12mm Green Agate Cross bead. The Ave beads are a natural Emperor gemstone in 6mm. I have used Pacific Opal and Crystal AB Satin swarovski crystal biscones 4mm to compliment the Pater beads.

"Yves' Spring of Healing" Chaplet

Yves' was the poor Breton farmer whom St Anne de Auray appeared to and showed him where an ancient statue bearing her image was hidden in his field. The bubbling spring in his field was transformed into waters of healing, both of mind and body from that day forward.

The colours in this chaplet reflect the stunning image above, the light sandstone of the brick, the turquoise of the door, the green grass, all from this ancient building dedicated to St Anne de Auray in Breton, France. The colours also reflect the freshness and hue of a bubbling, life-giving spring and it's sandy bottom...

A close up shot, lovely greens, blues and turquoise colours!

**o0o**

"Gate to the House of Mercy" Chaplet - Won by Jen L

This St Anne Chaplet has more subtle and subdued colours. It contains 12mm Green Jade Cross gemstones for the Pater Beads. The Ave beads are a Banded Agate gemstone 6mm. In between the beads I have used Czech Glass Druk 4mm beads in Jet Vitrail colours.

"Gate to the House of Mercy" Chaplet

Sixty meters inside the Lion's Gate, on your right, is a wooden doorway leading to a hidden garden enclave where you'll find the beautiful Church of St. Anne and pool of Bethesda.

Through the Lion's Gate is another smaller, wooden doorway to a hidden garden..to St Anne's home. Hiddeness, humility, subtlety, subdued. All adjectives to describe the home of St Anne and the Child Mary and this chaplet. The colours and the symmetry of the markings in the chaplet reflect the beautiful image above of The Lion's Gate and beyond.

This is a good close up of the vintage reproduction medal of St Anne de Auray, you can see all the flowers surrounding St Anne and the Child Mary as well as very small fleur de lys in the background.

**o0o**

"Sancta Ana Antrum Antiquum" Chaplet - Won by Nancy of Be Not Afraid

Lastly a smaller and soft pink chaplet to St Anne. I have used 12mm Unakite Cross gemstones for the Pater Beads. The Ave beads are a 6mm Pink Quartz gemstone. The Pater beads are complimented by lovely pink swarovski crystal biscones 4mm. Very delicate and feminine.

"Sancta Ana Antrum Antiquum" Chaplet

Here is an image of the subterranean gallery known as the 'Antrum Antiquum' at the Cathedral of Apt where St Anne's body was discovered by Charlemagne.

The colours of this chaplet reflect the hues and tones in St Anne's crypt. The Pater stones look like stone from this subterranean gallery.

This closeup shows the real beautiful of the Unakite gemstone, lovely colours and patterns..

**o0o**

"Flowering Vine of Jesse" Chaplet - Won by Meredith of Sweetness and Light

This chaplet is very beautiful in the sunlight as it has many little swarovski crystals that throw off beautiful glints and gleams of colour. The colours in this chaplet are reflected in the image below of St Anne's crypt in Apt, France where her body was discovered many, many centuries ago.

"Flowering Vine of Jesse" Chaplet

Once again the light purple has featured in the oval Ave gemstones and the crystals throw of blues and browns like the colours you can see in the crypt. But there is one more symbolic connection in the chaplet that ties to this crypt of St Anne.

See the black and white and image below, it is the design that is still visible, in exactly the same form wherein it was graven so many centuries ago.

It consists of the flowering branch of a tree, interlaced with a vine bearing both foliage and grapes. To look at it is an experience so moving that, months after gazing at it, this chronicler finds it impossible even to write of it without profound emotion. For it reveals, unmistakably, that when the stone slab was carved, even as now, men and women were reverently reciting the litany which begins:

"St Anne, Grandmother of our Saviour, pray for us."

And continues:"St Ane, Root of Jesse, St Anne, Fruitful Vine....pray for us."

The Pater beads are made from carved bone with a flowering vine, that represents the carving found on the ceiling in the crypt of Apt.

Here is my full posting from last year about the crypt at Apt and the inscription on the ceiling above the resting place of St Anne.

**o0o**

"Fragrant Myrrh of St Anne" Chaplet - Won by Mary

This St Anne chaplet has been created to compliment the beautiful, miraculous Icon of St Anne below. The colours of the Ave beads (African Jade Cross gemstones 12mm) reflect the colours in the Icon.

"Fragrant Myrrh of St Anne" Chaplet

The Pater Beads are Carved Bone beads. In you look carefully you can see the beautiful round 4mm swarvoski crystals that side the Pater beads in a deep brown that look like drops of Myrrh.
Each individual Ave bead is different in colour and pattern, so lovely...

Look forward to you joining with me on the 17th in praying the St Anne novena!
In that period I will be posting each day with the new daily St Anne novena prayer.