St. Joachim

St. Joachim is honored in Christian tradition as the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus the grandfather of Jesus, and as the husband of St. Anne. His name is not found in the canonical Scriptures; it comes from early Christian writings, notably the second-century Protoevangelium of James, which relates the pious traditions surrounding Mary's parents and her birth.

According to these accounts, Joachim and Anne were a devout and elderly couple long childless, who received the Virgin Mary as the answer to their fervent prayers and dedicated her to God. While the Church does not treat the legendary details as history, it holds with confidence that Mary had holy parents who raised her in faith, and it honors them for their part in preparing the mother of the Redeemer. St. Joachim and St. Anne are celebrated together on 26 July, and he is invoked as a patron of grandfathers and fathers.