<p>St. Joachim is regarded as the father of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.&nbsp; Tradition has it that St. Joachim was a retired Priest or Holy man of his time. &nbsp;</p> <p>In the Catholic tradition, St. Joachim is the Patron Saint of Fathers, Grandfathers, Grandparents, Married Couples, and Cabinet Makers.&nbsp; He is shown in old art forms always as an old man, often in the company of his wife Anne, the mother of Mary.&nbsp; The traditional tomb of St. Anne and St. Joachim was rediscovered in Jerusalem in 1889, and both share the feast day of July 26^th. &nbsp;</p> <p>St. Joachim and his wife Anne were in the decline of life when Mary was born.&nbsp; Tradition says that while Joachim was away from home, he had a vision that Anne was to be blessed with a child.&nbsp; When he returned home, his wife ran to tell of the visitation of an angel who had revealed to her the same good news.&nbsp; It is also tradition that St. Joachim had given Mary to the service of the Temple when the girl was only three years old.&nbsp;</p> <p>St. Joachim in neither mentioned in historical or canonical writings, but is still widely revered and is the namesake of many church institutions.&nbsp; The only source of information about St. Joachim is the non-biblical Gospel of James, an apocryphal book that was nonetheless widely read.&nbsp; In the 1500 &ndash; 1600&rsquo;s, St. Joachim&rsquo;s image appeared on many European coins including the famous Joachim&rsquo;s Taler, a silver coin in Bohemia in about 1520.&nbsp; Some of those coins are still around today, in the hands of collectors.&nbsp; The name Joachim in Hebrew means, &ldquo;God Prepares&rdquo;. &nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Practical Take Away</strong></span></p> <p>We know St. Joachim as the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary.&nbsp; Although little is actually known about this saint, one can imagine the love he had for his child, who came late in life for he and St. Anne.&nbsp; Also one can meditate on the struggles that he would face, as this girl would grow up to be chosen by God to be the mother of our Savior.&nbsp; The tradition tells us he was a Priest or Holy man of God, and much can be taken from that.&nbsp; We too, may not always know what God may have in store for us &ndash; but one thing is for sure, if we stay close to God, serve him with all our strength, we too can merit life eternal like St. Joachim. &nbsp;</p>