Saints Joachim and Anne
July 26th marks the feast day of the parents of Mary, Saints Joachim and Anne. They are the grandparents, then, of Jesus. When I meditate on the honor they received of being the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus, I wonder at what it was like to work so closely with God to bring about salvation. They must have said their own “yes” in order to bear and raise the mother of the Savior. What did that upbringing look like? What they must have instilled in Mary or lived out as an example? Reflecting on their faithfulness is encouragement to my journey as a wife, mother and believer. One can’t help but imagine that for Mary to say her fiat as she did, at such a young age, she must have witnessed the yeses of her parents along the way. She must have trusted her father as the image of the Heavenly Father in her home. And perhaps that practice of trust led her to trust the Heavenly Father’s direct call on her life.
Saints Joachim and Anne are the patron saints of grandparents. So today’s celebration will incorporate your own children’s grandparents (and great-grandparents)! Consider inviting your children’s grandparents or great-grandparents to share in your celebration time.
As always, scroll to the bottom to download your celebration plan!
The Celebration
Story and Scripture
Today’s story is, again, taken from the Loyola Press Saints Stories for Kids. If anyone reading has a great story for children regarding these saints, please share! Link in the comments. 🙂 Here’s a quote from the reading for today:
You have probably heard the expression: The apple does not fall far from the tree. It means that children are often like their parents. Scripture does not tell us anything about the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition tells us that their names were Joachim and Ann. The name Ann means “grace,” while Joachim means “the Lord will judge.” Tradition also says that Joachim and Ann took their daughter to the Temple in Jerusalem when she was very young. They understood that Mary was a special child, so they dedicated her to God.
Sweet, no?
The scripture passage for today is taken from the Responsory from the Liturgy of the Hours for the days Office of Readings. It is derrived from Luke 2:37-38 and Luke 7:16:
They worshipped God day and night
in fasting and in prayer.
– They looked forward to the deliverance of Israel.
They prayed that God would come to save his people
– They looked forward to the deliverance of Israel.
As I explain in the plan for today, you can either read this aloud to the children or read it together as a response. To do that, the leader reads aloud the lines without dashes and everyone else responds with “They looked forward…”. Hence, the responsory! And now you know how to pray a little piece of the Divine Office.
Coloring Page(s)
I’ve picked out two coloring pages for this feast day. The first because I cannot get enough of these Catholic Playground coloring sheets. They are just so beautiful. They are probably better for children who have a good mastery of coloring in the lines and whatnot. 
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Coloring Page | Catholic Playground
The second has a little more white space and less detail, so may be better for the littler set. It’s from Super Coloring Pages.
Saints Anna and Joachim with Little Mary coloring page | Free Printable Coloring Pages
Again, these are fantastic to work on together while reading the story and talking about the saints. Coloring pages are a great way to expose the children to the images and themes in the stories of the faith. They’ll begin to recognize the placement of the family members, that Mary is usually depicted as a young girl near her mother’s lap. And as you go about life, visiting other churches and places, they’ll begin to recognize these themes in art, stained glass, and sculptures!
The Craft
Maybe it’s because there are two saints for this one day, but I’m feeling double the everything! Or maybe it’s because I’m a poor decision maker. Either way, you get two options for your optional craft!
The first is the easy option, in fact it’s not even much of a craft, more of an activity!
Send a card to your children’s grandparents. Or more preciesely, give your children paper and something to draw with. If they’re writers, have them write a note. And send the grandparents some good ol’ snail mail.
Why?
Because Sts. Joachim and Anne are the patrons of grandparents. Let’s honor them by honoring the grandparents in our own lives!
Even if they live next door, or in the same town, it’ll bless their socks off. You know that feeling you get when you receive a real bonafide letter in the mail. You know.
The second is a little more hands-on and can be adapted to suit your needs! Always remember–keep it joyful, simple and faithful. If this one causes stress skip or simplify to your hearts content!
Sts. Joachim and Anne Picture Collages
Materials: cardboard, poster board, an old folder, something sturdy!; paint, glue, tissue or color paper cut into small squares; printed images of Sts. Anne and Joachim or holy cards of them, photographs (work best) or printed images of your grandparents.
the materials
Instructions:
- Begin by allowing the child to paint the cardboard/posterboard/sturdy paper however he wishes. (I used a colored folder so skipped the painting. You can too!)
- Before the paint dries help your children press on squares of tissue paper to make a collage of color (it may look like stained glass window!). If the paint begins to dry use a little glue to affix the squares.
- Affix any images of Sts. Anne and Joachim and the grandparents you have or printed. Let dry.
- Dilute some glue in a cup or bowl with a little bit of water so that it’s thin enough to spread on. Once your collage is dry you or your child can paint on a thin coat of the glue-water mixture. Let dry again.
Notice my pictures were fairly large and so covered up most of the tissue. Make your photos smaller or be sure to cover all the edges with the tissue paper! Don’t notice how terribly my printer shot these out.
- Hang near your prayer space or in your child’s room as a reminder to pray to Sts. Joachim and Anne for their grandparents!
You guys, it’s a little humbling to show you this ‘finished product’. I whipped it up quickly as an example and it did not turn out as I’d hoped. My printer what acting up, the glue was too runny, the pictures were too large. But it was fun to make. So I’ll take it as a joyful win!
**If this whole project is too much consider flipping through photos of your children’s grandparents and great-grandparents. There’s something so comforting in recognizing God’s plan in an historical and family-centered light. God works with and in families to bring about salvation. Jesus had a mother and grandparents, and great-grandparents, and all along the line of David. And all that family history shaped the history of the world and salvation. This is a good opportunity to share your family history as well and perhaps begin to lay that foundation of knowledge of salvation history.
The Prayer
O Lord, God of our Fathers,
who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace,
that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son,
grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation
you have promised to your people.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(From the Liturgy of the Hours prayer for the day.)
Saints Joachim and Anne, patron saints of grandparents, pray for us and for our grandparents.
Treat
For the treat today pick something that is a favorite of the grandparents in your family’s life. Could be their favorite cookie, dessert, or even meal. Invite them over if they’re nearby to participate and share the treat with you. Or video chat with them while you’re celebrating.
I’m planning to make my Granny’s Chocolate Pie that day. Or some of my dad’s (the kids’ Papteaux) favorite peach cobbler. We’ll celebrate early this year as we’ll be with my parents (Abeea and Papateaux) a few days before. I’ll be sure to get the Celebration post up a little early, too!
Granny Buras’ Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package chocolate pudding (non-instant)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- one pie crust (store bought or homemade).
- Bake pie crust as indicated. Let cool.
- Mix all ingredients in saucepan on stove. Cook until thick over low heat, stirring constantly.
- Pour into prepared pie crust.
- Refrigerate until firm.
- Serve with whipped cream.
The Plan
Here’s the plan for you to print out to help plan your family’s celebration. Be sure to come back and comment with your experiences or questions. I’d love to see pictures, too! I’ll be on IG with #hdahstsjoachimandanne. Hope to see you there!
visitation home: life, love, joy 