Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, grandparents of Jesus

There is no reference in the Bible and no certain news about Joachim and Anna, Mary's parents. The existing information was taken from apocryphal texts, such as the Protoevangelium of James and the Gospel of pseudo-Matthew, in addition to tradition. It is known that both lived in Jerusalem.

Couple without children

When they got married, Joaquim and Ana did not have children for twenty years. At that time, for the Jews, not having descendants was a sign of God's lack of blessing.

One day, while taking his offerings to the Temple, Joachim was reprimanded by a man for not having children. For this reason, he had no right to present the offers.

Joaquim was upset by the man's words and decided to retreat to the desert. For forty days and forty nights, he begged God, through tears and fasting, to give him descendants. Ana also spent days in prayer, asking God for the grace of motherhood.

The announcement

God heard the prayers; and an angel appeared to them separately, warning them that they were going to become parents. As soon as Mary turned 3 years old, she was taken to the Temple to be consecrated to her service, as Ana and Joachim had promised in their prayers. The child was raised in the house located near the pool of Bethzaeda.

There, in the 12th century, the Crusaders built a church, which still exists, dedicated to Anne.

Worship of Jesus' grandparents

At first, only Saint Anne was celebrated, and even then, on different days in the West and the East. However, in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council, Mary's parents began to be celebrated on a single date, July 26th.