Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Luke (2: 36-40) in which prophetress, Anna, who worshipped in the temple constantly with fasting and prayer, came up to the Mary and Joseph and gave thanks to God for their child.

Fr Paul says Anna, the prophetess, is slightly forgotten in the longer accounts of the Presentation, so it is right that she should have today’s Gospel all to herself. Every parish church that is alive has its Annas, who without necessarily holding any official title keep the whole thing going; and who, above all, even if invisibly, give it life by their prayers.