Blessed Joachim
Blessed Joachim (Hebrew: Yehoyakim; also: Heli; fl. 1st century BC–1st century AD) is venerated in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Churches as the father of the Virgin Mary and thus the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ. His name does not appear in the canonical Gospels — the Gospel of Luke names Mary's father as Heli, which some interpreters regard as a form of Joachim — but comes primarily from the second-century apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, which describes the miraculous conception of Mary by the elderly and childless Joachim and his wife Anne. According to this tradition, Joachim was a devout, prosperous shepherd of Galilee whose offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem were rejected on account of his having no children; he withdrew to fast and pray in the wilderness, and an angel appeared to him with the news that his wife Anne would bear a holy child. He is venerated together with Anne throughout Catholic tradition and his feast is celebrated on 26 July.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Joachim
| Blessed Joachim | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 26 |
| Profession | Shepherd; head of household; father of the Virgin Mary |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church; Oriental Orthodox Churches; Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Patronage | Fathers; grandfathers; grandparents; the elderly; cabinet makers; linen traders; married couples |
| Attributes | White beard; staff or shepherd's crook; the Virgin Mary as a child; lily |
| Birthplace | Galilee, Roman Palestine |
| Death Place | Jerusalem or Galilee, Roman Palestine |
| Cause of Death | Unknown; traditional accounts suggest he died after the Presentation of Mary in the Temple |
| Primary Shrine | Church of Saint Anne, Jerusalem |
| Liturgical Class | Memorial in the General Roman Calendar (celebrated with Saint Anne) |
| Historic Class | Double |
Biography
Historical status
Joachim is a figure of Christian tradition rather than of documented history. The canonical Gospels of the New Testament do not name the parents of the Virgin Mary. The Gospel of Luke (3:23) lists "Heli" as a forefather in the genealogy of Jesus, and some ancient interpreters have identified this Heli with Joachim; the Talmudic tradition likewise refers to Mary's father by a name that some scholars read as Yehoyakim. These identifications are tentative.
The fullest account of Joachim comes from the Protoevangelium of James, a Greek apocryphal text probably composed in the second century AD. Though not a canonical text and not considered historically reliable in the way canonical scripture is, the Protoevangelium preserves traditions about Mary's origins that became deeply influential in Christian devotion and iconography. The feast of Saint Joachim has been celebrated in the Eastern Church since at least the sixth century, and in the Western Church it was established by Pope Julius II in 1504 and eventually fixed on 26 July, where it was joined to the feast of Saint Anne.
The tradition of the Protoevangelium
According to the Protoevangelium of James, Joachim was a devout and prosperous man of the tribe of Reuben, settled in Galilee, who lived with his wife Anne in marriage for twenty years without being blessed with a child. This childlessness was a source of humiliation in the religious culture of his time; at one of the great feasts in Jerusalem, a man named Rubim publicly reproached Joachim for presenting his offerings at the Temple without first having raised children for Israel, and turned him away. The shame of this rejection drove Joachim away from his home; he retired to be with his shepherds in the wilderness and fasted there for forty days and forty nights.
Meanwhile, Anne, at home in Jerusalem or Galilee, mourned both her barrenness and the absence of her husband. An angel of the Lord appeared to her, promising that she would conceive and bear a child, and the same angel appeared to Joachim in the wilderness with the same message. The angel bade Joachim return to Jerusalem, where he would find his wife at the Golden Gate of the Temple. Joachim obeyed, and the couple met at the Golden Gate — a scene depicted countless times in Western and Eastern Christian art as the Meeting at the Golden Gate — and Anne conceived.
Their daughter, born in fulfillment of this divine promise, was the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Protoevangelium, when Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anne presented her at the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God, in fulfillment of their vow. Joachim is said to have died sometime after this presentation; some accounts place his death not long after Mary's dedication at the Temple.
Veneration in East and West
The veneration of Joachim developed earlier in the Eastern Church than in the West. By the sixth century he was commemorated alongside Anne in Byzantine liturgy. His cult in the Western Church grew through the Middle Ages and was given formal papal recognition by Pope Julius II (1504), who established his feast on 20 March. The feast was later moved to 26 August and ultimately fixed on 26 July, where it is celebrated together with that of Saint Anne in the contemporary Roman Calendar.
The Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, built by the Crusaders in the twelfth century and now administered by the White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa), stands on the traditionally identified site of the house of Joachim and Anne.
Significant events
- Married Anne; remained childless for twenty years.
- Offering rejected at the Temple in Jerusalem; withdrew to fast and pray in the wilderness.
- Received angelic announcement that he would become the father of a holy child.
- Met his wife Anne at the Golden Gate of the Temple (Meeting at the Golden Gate).
- Became the father of the Virgin Mary, and thus the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ.
- Presented Mary at the Temple at age three; died at some later time.
- Venerated in the Eastern Church from at least the 6th century; feast established in the West by Pope Julius II (1504).
- Feast celebrated on 26 July together with Saint Anne.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Galilee, Roman Palestine
Death location: Jerusalem or Galilee, Roman Palestine
Notable location: City traditionally identified as the home of Joachim and Anne (Sepphoris (Tzipori), Galilee)
Notable location: Where Joachim's offering was rejected; also where Mary was presented as a child (Temple Mount, Jerusalem)
Notable location: Traditional site of the house of Joachim and Anne; venerated shrine (Church of Saint Anne, Jerusalem)
Notable location:
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Dynamic content
Parishes
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| This map created from a Cargo query () |
| Parish | Diocese | City | AdministrativeSubdivision | Country | ParishWebsite |
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| Parish | Diocese | City | AdministrativeSubdivision | Country | ParishWebsite |
| St. Joachim (Diocese of Birmingham) | Diocese of Birmingham | Piedmont, AL | Alabama | United States | https://stcharlescatholicchurch.com |
| St. Joachim (Diocese of Rockville Centre) | Diocese of Rockville Centre | Cedarhurst, NY | New York | United States | http://www.5townsparishesny.com |
Media
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Shrines
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Canonization
Immemorial cult
Joachim is venerated throughout the Catholic and Eastern Christian tradition as a saint of the universal Church by virtue of his immemorial cult, which predates any formal process of canonization. Because no formal canonization by a named pope on a specific date is recorded, his status is classified here as Blessed with an immemorial cult. He is not formally canonized through the modern process but is universally recognized as a saint throughout Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox devotion.
Feast day
July 26 (celebrated together with Saint Anne)
Veneration
Blessed Joachim is honored throughout the Christian world as the father of the Virgin Mary. His feast on 26 July is kept as a Memorial in the Roman Calendar, always in conjunction with that of Saint Anne. He is patron of fathers, grandfathers, and the elderly. The scene of his meeting with Anne at the Golden Gate is one of the most beloved subjects in Western and Eastern Christian art, depicted by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua (c. 1304–1306) in the famous fresco cycle that inaugurated the Western tradition of narrative religious art. The Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, on the traditional site of their home, is one of the finest surviving Crusader buildings in the Holy Land.
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
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