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The saints

Sts. Joachim and Anne

Jesus’ grandparents, known to us only through tradition and love.

Feast: 26 July · 1st century BC · The early Church · Jerusalem and Nazareth (by tradition)

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Icon of St. Anne in a red veil holding the child Mary.

chanter Angelos Akotandos (1400 - 1457) Details on Google Art Project, 1440. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Home / The saints / Sts. Joachim and Anne

Jerusalem, by tradition

The Bible never names Mary’s parents.1

An early Christian writing, the Protoevangelium of James, calls them Joachim and Anne.1

In that story they were old and childless, and they prayed for years until God gave them a daughter.

Patron of mothers and women in labor (Anne)1

01Sts. Joachim and Anne

Grandparents

Whatever the details, Mary had parents who raised her to say yes to God, and Jesus had grandparents.1

Devotion to Anne spread across East and West, and many churches are named for her.1

Live it this week

Honor your grandparents

Joachim and Anne were Jesus’ grandparents. This week, visit or call a grandparent (or an older person who has been like one to you), ask them about their life, and listen to the whole answer.

Notes

How we know · 1 source for this page
  1. Franciscan Media, Saint of the Day: “Saints Joachim and Anne”. franciscanmedia.org. franciscanmedia.org

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) is in the public domain; we quote the New Advent edition. Texts of the Holy See are quoted briefly from vatican.va. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain); Verse numbers are modern, with Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image; full list on the photo credits page.

Lines in the narrator’s voice, without a note, are our reflection, not a historical claim. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.