Saints Joachim and Anne: The Grace of Grandparenthood

by Fr. John Granato  |  07/27/2025  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Sat, Jul 26, we celebrated the memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Mother. It was St. Anne that conceived Mary immaculately in her womb. It is a great privilege for St. Anne to be the one who conceived our Blessed Mother, for it is Mary that brought forth our salvation in Jesus Christ. St. Anne is a very powerful saint for that very reason, and many call upon her intercession and are granted an answer to her prayers.

Of course, being parents of Mary, they are also then grandparents to our Lord. There is no indication and no record that either one saw or held the Lord upon his birth, although there are paintings from the Middle Ages and post Reformation of St. Anne with Mary and Jesus. Even if neither Anne nor Joachim ever laid eyes upon our Lord, they are still Jesus’ grandparents; therefore they are patron saints of grandparents, among other things as well.

The wonderful thing about grandparents is that many of them like to spoil their grandchildren. Priestly celibacy is a wonderful thing, a gift to the Church, and even in the midst of struggles, it is very rewarding. But even though most people focus on the priest’s sacrifice of a wife and children, one of my priest friends, a few years older than me, said that he does not so much regret not having children, but he is at an age now where all of his friends are grandparents.

He said that sometimes that is what comes to mind as he continues to live his celibacy and carry his cross. Cherish your grandparents and cherish your grandchildren.

God bless