St. Anna Simone
“For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."
The Story In A Minute
A Queen with No Desire for the Throne
Born in Rome, Saint Anna Simone was the daughter of Christian royalty. She was taught about Christianity from a young age and grew to love the teachings of the church. In fact, her love for the church was so strong that she desired to follow in the footsteps of the Holy Fathers she had learned about and adopt a monastic life.
Despite her royal status, Saint Anna Simone did not crave the life she had been born into; she preferred the spiritual life of the poor to the life of riches that she had been given. She even wore ripped clothes, ate stale bread, and slept on the floor rather than her bed.
When she was still a child, Saint Anna Simone's parents passed away, leaving her the Queen of the throne she did not want. Nonetheless, she took the position for her people, who had loved her parents dearly and also loved her very much. She ruled for one year, during which she gave money to the poor and freed slaves.
Yet, Saint Anna Simone still longed for the spiritual lives of the monks, saying to herself
“If you, my soul, desire the Kingdom of heaven, leave the Kingdom of the earth for no Kingdom in this world will stand forever."
So, after saying a prayer and writing a note to appoint her father's patriarch to the throne, she fled the palace.
Journey Through the Wilderness
While making her way through the wilderness in disguise, Saint Anna Simone came across a lion. After sending up a prayer to God, she discovered that a group of lions had gathered around her, but rather than hurting her, they treated her with affection and stood in perfect peace, as if listening to her prayer.
She had become "Queen over the Beasts;" yet even this title was too full of praise for her. Saint Anna Simone wanted to be a servant and nothing more.
The Dumb - "Habila"
Upon reaching the monastery of Anba Ormeos (in Egypt), she wanted to hide her identity as she feared being treated with special respect because of her position as Queen of the Kingdom. Therefore, she pretended to be mute and incapable of understanding others. The nuns brought her in and took care of her for fear that she would be hurt in the wilderness.
Saint Anna Simone completed the most difficult chores, ate alone, and once again, slept on the floor. Many thought her incapable of performing more complex tasks. Yet, when no one was watching her, she would read books about the saints; when she was eventually caught with them, she was lectured for playing with the books.
Saint Anna Simone prayed alone and she had been so secretive about her spiritual life that no one believed she could even read, pray, write, or understand holy books. In fact, she had been nicknamed "Habila," meaning "dumb."
The Secret Revealed
Anba Daniel, who was responsible for the monastic life in Egypt at the time, longed to meet different saints. He always prayed that the ranks of the saints be revealed to him. After praying one night, a voice from heaven revealed to him that Saint Anna Simone, who was once a queen, was staying at the monastery of Anba Ormeos. He decided to go see her and took his disciple with him.
After arriving at the monastery, Anba Daniel sat with the nuns and saw Saint Anna Simone sitting alone in tattered clothing and behaving in an antisocial manner. He told his disciples that she was pretending to be this way so that no one would praise her or pay her any attention. The head nun heard this and said that Saint Anna Simone was indeed "dumb," and that she had allowed her to stay for fear that she would be sinning if she had done otherwise.
Escaping the Monastery
There came a day when Saint Anna Simone was praying and the heavens opened up. The head nun noticed this, and called the other nuns to come and see. As they watched, Saint Anna Simone shone brightly, floating upwards. The Saint felt that she was being watched, so she stopped praying and looked around her, causing her to land on the floor and the heavens to close. When she saw no one, Saint Anna Simone started praying again, and the heavens opened up, with her rising upwards once more.
The pattern continued with the miraculous sight ceasing each time Saint Anna Simone looked around. The nuns asked the head nun about what they were seeing. Her answer was that Saint Anna Simone had achieved the spirituality of some of the Church's most revered saints. Suddenly understanding her mistake in judging the Saint, the head nun said "Woe to me," and so did all the nuns. The Saint immediately sensed that she was being watched and pretended to sleep.
The next morning, Saint Anna Simone fled the monastery, leaving behind a note that said,
"My mother and my sisters the nuns, I have tolerated all humiliation from you with joy, but I cannot tolerate glorification and praise. So blessed be the hour you named me 'Habila'. You are all saints. You are all pure, without any blemish and among you there is not one mocker.”