Joachim

Infobox Saint
name=Saint Joachim
birth_date=1st century BC
death_date=unknown
feast_day=July 26; March 20 (General Roman Calendar, 1584-1738); Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption (General Roman Calendar, 1738-1913); August 16 (General Roman Calendar, 1913-1969)
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
Orthodox Churches
Anglican Communion


imagesize=275px
caption="Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary"
birth_place=
death_place=Sepphoris or Jerusalem
titles=Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Confessor
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=Pre-Congregation
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=Lamb, doves, with Saint Anne or Mary
patronage=Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, fathers, grandparents
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Joachim ("he whom YHWH has set up", Hebrew: יהוֹיָקִים, Greek Ἰωακείμ) was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and therefore is ascribed the title of "forebearer of God", in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The canonical Gospel accounts in the New Testament do not explicitly name either of Mary's parents, but some argue that the genealogy in Luke 3 is that of Mary rather than Joseph, thereby naming her father as Eli. Catholic and Orthodox theologians who hold to this and reject the Stepfather Jacob tradition say "Eli" may be short for "Eliakim," which is similar to "Joachim." The story of Sts Joachim and Anne appears in the apocryphal Gospel of James.

Joachim was described as a rich and pious man of the house of Amram who regularly gave to the poor and to the temple (synagogue) at Sepphoris. [The reference to a temple at Sepphoris seems to contradict the generally held view that at that time no Jewish temple was admitted other than that in Jerusalem: see [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/temple.html The Temple at Jerusalem and Its Culture.] ] However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as his wife's childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate. The cycle of legends concerning Sts Joachim and Anne were included in the Golden Legend and remained popular in Christian art until the Council of Trent restricted the depiction of apocryphal events. Traditional depictions (vestibular statuary, etc) of St Joachim show him bearing a shovel.

No liturgical celebration of Saint Joachim was included in the Tridentine Calendar. It was added to the General Roman Calendar in 1584, for celebration on March 20, the day after the feast day of Saint Joseph. In 1738 it was transferred to the Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption. As part of his effort to allow the liturgy of Sundays to be celebrated, Pope Pius X transferred it to August 16, the day after the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that St Joachim may be remembered in the celebration of her triumph. [Dom Gaspar LeFebvre, "The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts," Saint Paul, MN: The E. M. Lohmann Co., 1952, p. 1513] It was then celebrated as a Double of the 2nd Class, a rank that was changed in 1960 to that of 2nd Class Feast. In 1969 it was joined to that of Saint Anne, for celebration on July 26. ["Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), pp. 98 and 135]

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj20.htm "Saint Joachim"]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08406b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: "St. Joachim"]