Saints Anne and Joachim

This coming Thursday, July 26^th, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, patron saints of Christian mothers and fathers.  This couple had the God-given honor and responsibility of raising Mary, our Holy Mother.

If you read the New Testament Gospels and letters, you won't find anything about Mary's parents.  So how do we know anything about these grandparents of Jesus?

In addition to the canon of Scripture - those books accepted as inspired by God and included in the Holy Bible - there are also extra-canonical or extra-biblical sources that we can use for their historical value.  The Church is understandably cautious in using these writings, and carefully evaluates the information in these sources.  As long as it doesn't conflict with official teaching, especially regarding faith and morals, the Church views much of this material as valuable.

In spite of its title, the Protoevangelium of James was written by an unknown writer in the 2^nd century.  The word protoevangelium means “first gospel” because the events take place before the events in sacred Scripture – specifically, before the Annunciation to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.  A scholar at the University of Dayton who specializes in the study of Mary calls the account "a very imaginative, creative story about the birth of Mary, written about 150 A.D."

It is in this extra-biblical story that we learn of the names of Mary’s parents.  Anne and Joachim were childless for many years, and at the time that they lived, this was considered to be a punishment from God.  They prayed to God, who answered their prayers with a daughter.  When she was three-years-old, Anne and Joachim presented Mary in the temple, where she danced on the third step of the altar and "all the house of Israel loved her."  Joseph, a widower with children, was named as her protector when she reached twelve or thirteen years old.

While we can’t be absolutely certain of the authenticity of the story and the names of Mary’s parents, we know this couple was holy based on what we read about Mary in the Scriptures.  The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her practice of prayer, her trust in God, and her devotion to her relatives indicate that her upbringing was in a close-knit, loving, faith-filled family.  We also remember that Anne and Joachim, as grandparents, would have modeled a life of faith to their grandson Jesus.

On their feast day, in the Catholic tradition of asking the saints to pray for us, we ask for the intercession of Saints Anne and Joachim on behalf of parents raising their children to love and follow God.