4 Lessons You Can Learn From the Grandparents of Jesus

St. Anne and St. Joachim

The Holy Grandparents of Jesus

Feast Day of Saint Anne: July 26

Feast Day of Saint Joachim: August 16

Little is known for certain about the lives of St. Joachim and St. Anne, but one great fact sets them apart from all other human beings: they were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ. We can learn a lot from this holy couple and discover the important role which grandparents play in raising a child in the Christian faith. No matter if you are preparing to become grandparents for this first time are about to welcome your 30th grandchild, here are 4 lessons we can all learn from the Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, the Grandparents of Jesus.

1) Trust in God’s Plan

According to a story which dates from about A.D. 150, Joachim and Anne had long been childless. Among the Jews this was a disgrace and was taken as a sign of God’s disapproval. Joachim took a handsome gift to the temple but the priests in charge rejected the gift because it came from a man considered unworthy in the sight of God. Joachim grieved over the rejection of his gift. Instead of returning home he retired to the fields to pray and to fast and to perform other acts of penance. Anne, hearing of the rejection, also turned to penance and begged God to take away the reproach of childlessness.

One day as Anne prayed earnestly in the garden of their home, an angel appeared and said: “Anne, thy prayer is heard; a child shall be born to thee, and this child shall be called blessed throughout the world. And not thy prayer only is heard, but the prayer of Joachim thy husband. He comes to thee now, by way of the golden gate, having learned through me the gracious designs of God toward him and thyself.” Anne’s sorrow was turned to joy, and she hastened to meet Joachim by the golden gate.

The couple promised God that their child, whether son or daughter, should be given entirely to Him to serve in His holy temple. With inexpressible happiness Anne welcomed her child into the world. Joyfully she wrapped the little one in swaddling clothes. With loving care she performed each motherly act for her.

2) Always Serve as a Model of Holiness for Your Children & Grandchildren

The daughter of Joachim and Anne was the only creature ever conceived without original sin. Her intellect was not clouded and she had not the slightest inclination toward evil. Joachim and Anne probably did not know about the Immaculate Conception, but they could not help seeing that there was something most unusual about their child, something that set her far above other creatures.

Anne is reported to have said: “She is a blessing, not only to us, but to all Israel.” It takes but a little stretch of the imagination to hear Anne exclaiming: “Look, Joachim, our child prays without being taught!” The joyful time of Mary’s infancy passed quickly for Anne and Joachim. When she was three years old the time had come for her parents to fulfill their promise. Mary was to be taken to the temple.

It would be difficult for any parents to give up their three-year-old child. For Joachim and Anne the parting must have been especially difficult. Mary was their only child and had come to them late in life. And such a very extraordinary child! But she belonged to God more than she did to them, and they willingly made the sacrifice. Tradition tells us that Joachim and Anne placed their little daughter on the first step of the temple and that she quickly climbed the fifteen steps leading to the altar; there the high priests waited to receive her and bless her. The parents returned home thankful that their child had entered the temple so willingly and had not wished to turn back even to them. But how lonesome that home must have seemed without Mary!

3) Your role as Grandparents may not always be visible, but it is always important

There is no record of Joachim and Anne after Mary was presented in the temple. They undoubtedly visited her from time to happy to see her advance in age and grace and wisdom. When Mary was married to Joseph, the marriage arrangements were made by the priests of the temple, not by her father. Nor do we find any mention of Anne at that time. Perhaps both parents had died by then.

Did God grant these holy parents a foreknowledge of the Annunciation and the birth of our Lord? We do not know. Joachim and Anne lived in obscurity and they died in obscurity but still to this day the important role they played in the salvation story continues to change the world. Their holiness, their commitment to God, brought forth Mary and through their love for Mary the Savior of the World!

4) Even as Grandparents yourself, you can turn to St. Anne & St. Joachim for help

As the grandparents of Jesus, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne are also our grandparents. When we go to them they are ready to listen to us with the love of a grandfather and a grandmother. Just as your own grandparents were always there for you, so too are St. Joachim and St. Anne. Remember to always look to their holy example for strength and courage to be a model of faith to your own children and grandchildren. Through emulating their holy example you continue the salvation story in today’s world!

Through the centuries, Catholics have venerated St. Anne and, to a lesser extent, St. Joachim. They have felt that this couple must have been very close to God in order to be selected as the grandparents of the Son of God. The Church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit in such matters, has looked favorably upon the popular devotion and has assigned a feast to each of the parents of Mary. God Himself has honored St. Anne by performing many wonders, both spiritual and physical, through her intercession.

One of the best known shrines to St. Anne is in d’Auray, in the section of France known as Brittany. The people of this region have been devoted to St. Anne ever since their conversion to Christianity. The chapel of St. Anne d’Auray has been destroyed several times through the centuries but has always been replaced. Numerous miracles have taken place before the statue there. In 1868 Pope Pius IX granted the miraculous statue the privilege of being crowned.

The French who came to the New World brought with them their devotion to St. Anne. At the village of Beaupre, twenty-one miles from the city of Quebec, a chapel dedicated to St. Anne was begun on March 13, 1658. On that day, a man named Louis Grimont, badly crippled from rheumatism, insisted upon placing three stones in the foundation. As he did so, he was immediately cured of his illness. Marvelous cures have been taking place at St. Anne de Beaupre from that day till our own, and the shrine is often called “the Lourdes of America.” St. Anne de Beaupre resembles Lourdes in another way: there are numerous spiritual cures which are even greater than the bodily cures.

Many come begging St. Anne for a cure; they leave still suffering from their infirmities, but with a great difference. They have learned from St. Anne the value of suffering in patience. With changed hearts they thank God for not curing them!

In 1947 a young man seriously afflicted wrote upon his return from Beaupre: “Wherever I go, I wish always to be the grandson of St. Anne My very weakness entitles me in a special way to her love. Hence forward, St. Anne will be for me a good, kind, generous grandmother. … My health has remained good in spite of the paralysis which deprives me of the use of half of my body. But it is especially my soul that has gained. Now I see quite clearly that the highest perfection and the purest happiness lie in willing all that God wills. What difference does it make whether the body can walk or not, if the soul is paralyzed?”

St. Anne: The Grandmother of Jesus

St. Anne is a wonderful example for all grandmothers and grandmothers to be of the important role grandparents play in raising both children & grandchildren in the faith. Having a St. Anne item in your house is a cherished gift to honor all grandmothers. By wearing a St. Anne necklace, St. Anne Bangle Bracelet, or using a St. Anne Rosary box and prayer cards, you are reminded to always follow the holy example of the Grandmother of Jesus. During your times of struggle may you turn to St. Anne and ask for her special intercession for your needs. 

St. Joachim: The Grandfather of Jesus

A St. Joachim item makes the perfect gift for any grandfather or grandfather to be! Be it a St. Joachim Medal, St. Joachim Stone Rosary, or even a fridge magnet, the item will serve as a perpetual reminder of the special role all grandparents play in raising grandchildren in the Christian faith. May these beautifully crafted products inspire you to always follow the holy example of St. Joachim and and turn to the Grandfather of Jesus in your prayers and to ask for his holy intercession. 

Pope Francis Institutes the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly

At the weekly Sunday Angelus in St. Peters Square on January 31, 2021, Pope Francis established the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly. The World Day for Grandparents and Elderly will occur on the fourth Sunday in July each year, as this is the closest Sunday to the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, which is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 26th.

The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is a reminder to us all that the voice of the elderly “is precious because it sings the praises of God and preserves the roots of the peoples”. Throughout our faith story, the elderly played a critical role, from Saints Joachim and Anne being the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus, to Simeon and Anna recognizing the infant Jesus as the Messiah upon the presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

Still to this day, grandparents and the elderly continue to recognize the Messiah and pass along the holy lessons of the faith of the next generations. May we all join Pope Francis in celebrating the feasts of Sts Joachim and Anne and the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly!