Confessor
Feast: August 16 (Traditional Calendar)
St. Joachim, of the royal house of David, is venerated by the Church as the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary and spouse of St. Anne. Though the Sacred Scriptures are silent concerning his life, ancient tradition—particularly preserved in the Protoevangelium of James—hands down precious details of his holiness, trials, and role in the mystery of the Incarnation.
His Life
Joachim lived in Nazareth and was known for his justice, humility, and generosity. With his holy wife, St. Anne, he suffered the sorrow of childlessness, a trial regarded by the Jews as a sign of God’s displeasure. Yet he did not cease from prayer, almsgiving, and faithful observance of the Law.
At a certain feast in Jerusalem, Joachim was publicly reproached by the High Priest, who told him that a man without offspring had no place among the faithful of Israel. Heartbroken, Joachim withdrew into the desert, where for forty days he fasted and prayed, humbly imploring God to remove his reproach. Meanwhile, St. Anne prayed at home with equal fervor.
God heard their petitions. An angel appeared to both Joachim and Anne, announcing that their prayers had been accepted, and that Anne would conceive and bear a daughter who would be blessed among women. Filled with joy, Joachim returned to Anne, and in due time she conceived the Immaculate Virgin Mary, destined to be the Mother of the Messiah.
His Cultus
The devotion to St. Joachim spread gradually in both East and West. His name appears in Byzantine liturgical texts from the early centuries. In the Latin Church, his feast was extended to the universal calendar by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. Traditionally it is kept on August 16, the day after the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, to show his close connection with the mystery of Mary’s earthly glory.
Patronage and Virtues
St. Joachim is honored as a model of patience in trial, constancy in prayer, and trust in God’s providence. He, with St. Anne, is invoked by Christian parents for the grace of raising children in holiness, and by the childless who commend themselves to his intercession.
Prayer to St. Joachim
O holy Joachim, father of the Immaculate Virgin, foster-father of our Redeemer, obtain for us the grace to imitate thy constancy in prayer, thy patience in affliction, and thy perfect resignation to the divine will. May we, like thee, place all our hope in the promises of God, and be made worthy to share in the joys of thy blessed daughter for all eternity. Amen.