A painting of St. Joachim, the little Virgin Mary, and St. Anne in the Church of San Francesco in Reggio Emilia, Italy. / Credit: Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).
TheCatholicChurchcelebratesthebirthoftheBlessedVirginMaryonitstraditionalfixeddateofSept.8,ninemonthsaftertheDec.8celebrationofherimmaculateconceptionasthechildofSts.JoachimandAnne.
ThecircumstancesoftheVirginMary’sinfancyandearlylifearenotdirectlyrecordedintheBible,butotherdocumentsandtraditionsdescribingthecircumstancesofherbirtharecitedbysomeoftheearliestChristianwritersfromthefirstcenturiesoftheChurch.
Theseaccounts,althoughnotconsideredauthoritativeinthesamemannerastheBible,outlinesomeoftheChurch’straditionalbeliefsaboutthebirthofMary.
The“ProtoevangeliumofJames,”whichwasprobablyputintoitsfinalwrittenformintheearlysecondcentury,describesMary’sfather,Joachim,asawealthymemberofoneofthe12tribesofIsrael.Joachimwasdeeplygrieved,alongwithhiswife,Anne,bytheirchildlessness.“HecalledtomindAbraham,”theearlyChristi
