St Joachim and Ann

Parents of the Virgin Mary. Little is known about the mother and father of Our Lady. Their story is told in the apocryphal Gospel of James but neither are mentioned in Holy Scripture.

The early cult of Joachim was recorded in the East with images on the columns of St Marks in Venice. Later, Giotto painted Joachim and Ann in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. They were also depicted together in stained glass at Great Malvern Priory, Hereford, Worcester and elsewhere (according to the Oxford Dictionary of Saints). Joachim is said to be buried in Jerusalem.

On 1 February 2021, Pope Francis instituted today as Grandparents Day. See: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/41451

Find more articles about the Day here: www.indcatholicnews.com/search/Grandparents