St Anne Solidarity Medal

St Anne Solidarity Medal

metal - Nickel plated
37mm in diameter

The St. Anne's Sodality has women of all ages in its membership and
these days, because so many women are going out to work, it does tend to
have more older members.

Originally the movement was started in
French Canada by an Oblate of Mary Immaculate priest as early as 1850.
It reached South Africa via Lesotho where the OMI's were active. Fr.
Honorat saw married women coming to church and began the sodality as a
support group for them, encouraging them to look to St. Anne, mother of
Mary and grandmother of Jesus, as a model. In South Africa today the
sodality is a strong support group for its members and a powerful
resource for their parishes. It is almost exclusively for black women
and is active in over 20 dioceses. Their aim is to "serve the family,
serve the church and serve the community".

Members, dressed in their
familiar uniform of a purple top, black skirt and beret, meet bi-monthly
for Mass, discussion, report back and prayers. Their social involvement
includes visiting young mothers, lapsed Catholics, the bereaved and
attend to any other needs made known to them by their parish priests.

A few years ago Bishop Michael Coleman invited the Sodality of St. Anne
to become involved in the St. Kizito's project for orphans and
vulnerable children.

There are now 12 St. Kizito's branches in our
diocese, managed either totally or in part by the sodality. The children
are fed and clothed, and in some cases vegetable gardens have been
planted for their soup kitchens. A number of members have attended
counseling workshops to assist the children they care for. In some
branches children are assisted in obtaining identity documents and
Government grants