The Archdiocese of Detroit celebrated the feast day of St. Anne Tuesday, encouraging the faithful to think about incarnation.

"Happy feast of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus!” the archdioceses posted online. “Today is an invitation to reflect on the power of the Incarnation — and how Jesus comes to the world through each of us! Jesus assuredly looked like Mary, and thus like Anne. What an honor! Today Jesus can come powerfully into the world through you and your heart — in a way that will be marked by your uniqueness. God honors what he creates; that includes you. St. Anne, pray for us!”

St. Anne is the mother of Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. According to Britannica, Anne and her husband Joachim, as Jesus' grandparents, are celebrated as the patron saints of grandparents each year on July 26. St. Anne is also the patron saint of women in labor.

St. Anne's life parallels the life of Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, which is described in the Old Testament, Britannica continues. St. Anne had trouble conceiving a child, so she prayed to God and promised that if she could have a child, she would dedicate her to the service of the Lord. An angel visited Anne and Joachim and told them they would give birth to Mary.

Sts. Anne and Joachim are not mentioned in the Bible, so what is known about their lives comes from non-scriptural writings and legends, Catholic.org explains. However, sources agree that Mary had good and faithful parents who raised her to love and serve God.

The legacy of Sts. Anne and Joachim is to remind Catholics of the important role grandparents play in the family unit, according to the National Shrine.

“Sts. Joachim and Anne were part of a long chain of people who had transmitted their faith and love for God, expressed in the warmth and love of family life, down to Mary, who received the Son of God in her womb and who gave him to the world, to us,” Pope Francis said. “How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!”