College Chaplain 

Dear Friends,

I welcome you back to the entire life of Marian College.

As many of you know, the church has set aside the feat of St Joachim and Anne to celebrate the role and the gift of grandparents. Many of us have beautiful grandparents who go beyond their confines to look after us with immense joy and dedication.

We celebrated the feast of St Joachim and Anne Wednesday, July 26. Joachim and Anne are the parents of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and thus, they are the grandparents of Jesus Christ. Although not mentioned in the New Testament, later writings tell their story. Today, the Catholic Church proclaims St. Joachim and Anne, the patron saint of Grandparents.

According to traditions preserved in Christian apocryphal writings from the early centuries (especially in the Proto-Gospel of Saint James), Joachim was a priest in the Temple, and his wife Anne was barren. In despair, he went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. Finally, God heard the prayer of the righteous couple, and Anne conceived and bore a daughter whom they called Mary. According to tradition, when the child was three years old, Her parents brought Her to the Temple, and She stayed there until She was 12.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, Her continuous practice of prayer, Her devotion to the laws of Her faith, Her steadiness at moments of crisis, and Her devotion to Her relatives all indicate a close-knit, loving family that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the best of the past.

Joachim and Anne represent that quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties and practice their faith.

The feast of grandparents reminds grandparents of their responsibility to establish a tone for generations to come: They must make the traditions live and offer them as a promise to little children. But the feast has a message for the younger generation as well. It reminds the young that older people’s greater perspective, depth of experience, and appreciation of life’s profound rhythms are all part of a wisdom not to be taken lightly or ignored.

Therefore, let us join the church, pray, and thank our grandparents for their many good works.

St Joachim and Anne, Pray for us.

Fr Cyprian