St. Joachim

Tradition says that Joachim was the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s father. This tradition is found in the apocryphal Gospel of James, the Pseudo-Matthew, and the Gospel of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary; these writings contain legends and popular tales, but scholars note that a few facts are mixed in with the exaggerations. According to the popular tradition, Joachim went into the desert to weep and beg God for a child, after he and St. Anne had been childless for many years. An angel appeared to him and foretold Mary’s birth. A more reliable tradition says that Joachim and Anne lived in Jerusalem and were buried there; a church was built on the site of their tombs in the fourth century, probably by St. Helen. This church was converted into a Moslem school in the ninth century. The crypt that once held tombs was rediscovered March 18, 1889. The Greek church early celebrated the feast of St. Joachim; the Western was slowed to adopt the feast. The feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne is now celebrated on July 26.