Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 38.718908364363955, -9.301793293546499

On the 26th of July 2015, thousands of people attended the inauguration of the Church of São Joaquim and Santa Ana in Porto Salvo (Oeiras), in a ceremony presided over by the cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon, D. Manuel Clemente. Hundreds stayed at the door, because the space was small.

The wait for the faithful was long, almost 40 years, as many commented before entering the new place of prayer. "It's a real miracle", said many of the faithful present.

"It is a very modern church", described parish priest Abilio Lucas, noting that this work had a cost of around 3 million euros and that it includes a day centre, still under construction. At the ceremony, the cardinal-patriarch underlined the importance of the new space: "The community of Porto Salvo will happily gather, to be more with God.

São Joaquim and Santa Ana, the couple considered unworthy who generated Maria

The cult of the Virgin Mary's parents was late in the West, with a timid beginning around 900-1000, while in the Christian East already in the 6th century there were relevant liturgical manifestations, especially in connection with Marian feasts such as the Conception and the Nativity. It was Pope Gregory XII who appointed, in 1584, his liturgical feast to July 26th.

Anna's name derives from the Hebrew Hannah (grace), while Joachim means, always from the Hebrew, "God makes strong". Although there is little news about Ana, and even more from non-official and canonical texts, her cult is extremely widespread both in the East and in the West.

There is no trace of two such important figures in the history of salvation in the canonical Gospels. The Protoevangelium of St. James, an apocryphal gospel of the second century, speaks extensively about them. Later elaborations of this document would add other details, which only devotion dictated. According to these sources, Ana was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, daughter of the priest Mathan, of descent from King David, a basic character of the Jewish identity.

The Protoevangelium of St. James narrates that Joachim, husband of Anna, was a pious and very rich man, and lived near Jerusalem, near the pool of Bethzata (referred to, in the New Testament, at the beginning of chapter 5 of the Gospel according to St. James). John, regarding Jesus' healing of a paralytic).

One day, while he was taking his abundant offerings to the temple, as he did annually, the high priest Reuben stopped him, saying: "You have no right to do so, because you have not borne offspring". Joaquim and Ana were husband and wife who truly loved each other, but they did not have children, and given their age, they could no longer have them. According to the Jewish mentality of the time, the high priest saw the divine curse on them for being barren.

The rich old shepherd, because of his love for his wife, did not want to marry another woman in order to have a child. Hurt by the words of the high priest, Joaquim went to the archive of the twelve tribes of Israel to verify the veracity of what Ruben said. Having found that all pious and observant men had children, he was heartbroken and did not have the courage to return home, and withdrew to a mountain country of his own, and for 40 days and 40 nights he pleaded with God for help, amidst tears, prayers, and prayers. fasts.

Ana also suffered because of her sterility, to which was added the suffering of her husband's “escape”. For this reason, she gave herself up to intense prayer, asking God to hear her pleas to have a child. During prayer, an angel appears to her, who announces to her: “Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer, and you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be spoken of throughout the world”. So it happened, and after a few months Anna gave birth. The Protoevangelium of St. James concludes: “After the necessary days had elapsed, he purified himself, gave the breast to the child, naming her Mary, that is, “the Lord's favorite”».

Meeting at the Golden Gate

Oriental iconography emphasizes, making it famous, the meeting at the city gate, of Anna and Joaquim returning from the mountain, known as “the meeting at the golden gate” of Jerusalem; golden because golden, of which, however, there are no historical data.

The pious parents, grateful to God for the gift received, lovingly educated the little Mary, who at the age of three was taken to the temple of Jerusalem, to be consecrated to their service, in accordance with the promise made by both, when they implored the grace of a son. After three years, Joachim ceases to appear in the texts, while Anna is still mentioned in other successive apocryphal gospels, which say that she lived to be 80 years old; it is also mentioned that, as a widow, she married twice more, having two children, whose descendants are considered, especially in German-speaking countries, as the “Holy Parentela” of Jesus.

Cult

The first manifestation of the cult in the East dates back to the time of Emperor Justinian, who had a church built in Constantinople in around 550 in honor of Saint Anne. The cult's affirmation in the West was gradual, having been boosted by the numerous relics brought by the Crusades; the image of Anna can be found in the 5th century, but her cult began around the 10th century in Naples, having reached its maximum diffusion in the 15th century, so much so that Gregory XIII decided to extend her evocation to the whole Church.

Joaquim was discreetly left aside for long centuries, and then inserted into the celebrations on a different date; Ana on July 25th by the Greeks in the East, and July 26th by the Latins in the West. From 1584 Joaquim was commemorated first on the 20th of March, then, in 1788, on the Sunday of the octave of the Assumption of Our Lady; in 1913 it was established on the 16th of August, having later been evoked on the same date as Ana.

Protector of pregnant women

The Virgin's mother holds multiple patronages, almost all linked to Mary. Because she carried the hope of the world in her womb, her mantle is green, and therefore, in Brittany, where there is an important devotion, she is invoked to gather hay; for protecting Mary like a jewel in a vault, she is the patroness of goldsmiths and coopers; protects miners, carpenters, joiners and turners. Because she taught the Virgin how to clean the house, cook and weave, she is the patroness of broom makers, weavers, tailors, fabric makers and traders for the home. She is above all the patroness of mothers and widows, and is invoked in difficult deliveries and against marital sterility. Women in labor turn to her to obtain three great favors from God: a happy delivery, a healthy child and enough milk to breastfeed.

Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 38.718908364363955, -9.301793293546499

On the 26th of July 2015, thousands of people attended the inauguration of the Church of São Joaquim and Santa Ana in Porto Salvo (Oeiras), in a ceremony presided over by the cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon, D. Manuel Clemente. Hundreds stayed at the door, because the space was small.

The wait for the faithful was long, almost 40 years, as many commented before entering the new place of prayer. "It's a real miracle", said many of the faithful present.

"It is a very modern church", described parish priest Abilio Lucas, noting that this work had a cost of around 3 million euros and that it includes a day centre, still under construction. At the ceremony, the cardinal-patriarch underlined the importance of the new space: "The community of Porto Salvo will happily gather, to be more with God.

São Joaquim and Santa Ana, the couple considered unworthy who generated Maria

The cult of the Virgin Mary's parents was late in the West, with a timid beginning around 900-1000, while in the Christian East already in the 6th century there were relevant liturgical manifestations, especially in connection with Marian feasts such as the Conception and the Nativity. It was Pope Gregory XII who appointed, in 1584, his liturgical feast to July 26th.

Anna's name derives from the Hebrew Hannah (grace), while Joachim means, always from the Hebrew, "God makes strong". Although there is little news about Ana, and even more from non-official and canonical texts, her cult is extremely widespread both in the East and in the West.

There is no trace of two such important figures in the history of salvation in the canonical Gospels. The Protoevangelium of St. James, an apocryphal gospel of the second century, speaks extensively about them. Later elaborations of this document would add other details, which only devotion dictated. According to these sources, Ana was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, daughter of the priest Mathan, of descent from King David, a basic character of the Jewish identity.

The Protoevangelium of St. James narrates that Joachim, husband of Anna, was a pious and very rich man, and lived near Jerusalem, near the pool of Bethzata (referred to, in the New Testament, at the beginning of chapter 5 of the Gospel according to St. James). John, regarding Jesus' healing of a paralytic).

One day, while he was taking his abundant offerings to the temple, as he did annually, the high priest Reuben stopped him, saying: "You have no right to do so, because you have not borne offspring". Joaquim and Ana were husband and wife who truly loved each other, but they did not have children, and given their age, they could no longer have them. According to the Jewish mentality of the time, the high priest saw the divine curse on them for being barren.

The rich old shepherd, because of his love for his wife, did not want to marry another woman in order to have a child. Hurt by the words of the high priest, Joaquim went to the archive of the twelve tribes of Israel to verify the veracity of what Ruben said. Having found that all pious and observant men had children, he was heartbroken and did not have the courage to return home, and withdrew to a mountain country of his own, and for 40 days and 40 nights he pleaded with God for help, amidst tears, prayers, and prayers. fasts.

Ana also suffered because of her sterility, to which was added the suffering of her husband's “escape”. For this reason, she gave herself up to intense prayer, asking God to hear her pleas to have a child. During prayer, an angel appears to her, who announces to her: “Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer, and you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be spoken of throughout the world”. So it happened, and after a few months Anna gave birth. The Protoevangelium of St. James concludes: “After the necessary days had elapsed, he purified himself, gave the breast to the child, naming her Mary, that is, “the Lord's favorite”».

Meeting at the Golden Gate

Oriental iconography emphasizes, making it famous, the meeting at the city gate, of Anna and Joaquim returning from the mountain, known as “the meeting at the golden gate” of Jerusalem; golden because golden, of which, however, there are no historical data.

The pious parents, grateful to God for the gift received, lovingly educated the little Mary, who at the age of three was taken to the temple of Jerusalem, to be consecrated to their service, in accordance with the promise made by both, when they implored the grace of a son. After three years, Joachim ceases to appear in the texts, while Anna is still mentioned in other successive apocryphal gospels, which say that she lived to be 80 years old; it is also mentioned that, as a widow, she married twice more, having two children, whose descendants are considered, especially in German-speaking countries, as the “Holy Parentela” of Jesus.

Cult

The first manifestation of the cult in the East dates back to the time of Emperor Justinian, who had a church built in Constantinople in around 550 in honor of Saint Anne. The cult's affirmation in the West was gradual, having been boosted by the numerous relics brought by the Crusades; the image of Anna can be found in the 5th century, but her cult began around the 10th century in Naples, having reached its maximum diffusion in the 15th century, so much so that Gregory XIII decided to extend her evocation to the whole Church.

Joaquim was discreetly left aside for long centuries, and then inserted into the celebrations on a different date; Ana on July 25th by the Greeks in the East, and July 26th by the Latins in the West. From 1584 Joaquim was commemorated first on the 20th of March, then, in 1788, on the Sunday of the octave of the Assumption of Our Lady; in 1913 it was established on the 16th of August, having later been evoked on the same date as Ana.

Protector of pregnant women

The Virgin's mother holds multiple patronages, almost all linked to Mary. Because she carried the hope of the world in her womb, her mantle is green, and therefore, in Brittany, where there is an important devotion, she is invoked to gather hay; for protecting Mary like a jewel in a vault, she is the patroness of goldsmiths and coopers; protects miners, carpenters, joiners and turners. Because she taught the Virgin how to clean the house, cook and weave, she is the patroness of broom makers, weavers, tailors, fabric makers and traders for the home. She is above all the patroness of mothers and widows, and is invoked in difficult deliveries and against marital sterility. Women in labor turn to her to obtain three great favors from God: a happy delivery, a healthy child and enough milk to breastfeed.