Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (13: 18-23) in which Jesus explains the meaning of the Parable of the Sower. Afterwards, Fr Paul shares a little about St Joachim and St Anne, whose memorials we celebrate today.

Fr Paul says St Joachim and St Anne were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and thus they are the grandparents of Jesus Christ. Though the Gospels do not mention them directly, their lives and identities have been preserved in early Christian tradition and apocryphal writings.

According to these sources, Joachim and Anne were a pious, elderly couple from Galilee who were childless for many years. After prayers and fasting, an angel appeared to them promising they would conceive a child. This child was the Virgin Mary, who was born in Jerusalem in a place called the Probatica.

Tradition holds that Joachim and Anne later moved to Jerusalem, where they died and were buried. A church was built on the site of their home, which became a major pilgrimage destination in the early centuries of Christianity.

The Church honours Joachim and Anne as the holy grandparents of Jesus, and they are seen as models of faith, piety, and devotion to God’s will. Their feast day is celebrated on 26 July.

Though few concrete historical details are known about them, Joachim and Anne stand as inspiring examples of holiness, perseverance in prayer, and the blessings that come from faithfully serving the Lord. Their role in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of Christ makes them deeply revered figures in Catholic tradition.

So today, Fr Paul invites us to ask ‘Saints Joachim & Anne… Pray for us!’.