Anna Archives - Saint Sophia

Sts Joachim and Anna, parents of Blessed Mary (Theotokos)

09/09/2026

Commemorated September 9 So much attention is paid by Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, sanctified in every conceivable way, that there is a tendency to overlook her parents. Commemorated the day after the commemoration of their daughter, who is remembered on other days as well, Joachim and Anna were the parents of a flesh-and-blood human being they called Mary and, therefore, the grandparents of a flesh-and-blood human being, in form at least,

Homily on the Birth of the Theotokos

09/08/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on September 8, 2020 Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios “Your birth, Oh Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life.” Apolytikion (the Dismissal hymn) of the Nativity of the Theotokos The birth of the ever virgin and Mother of God, Mary, which is celebrated on the 8th of September, is the

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part I)

08/11/2026

Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain 28 August 2023 When the most glorious and richest kings on earth have in mind to build their throne and their royal palace as a whole, they don’t leave a stone unturned until they find the most precious material that nature is able to offer, so that the palace won’t lack the slightest thing in terms of luxury goods. And if they themselves were able

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God (9 December)

12/09/2025

Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married Saint Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee. For a long time, Saint Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, who would bring

The Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. The Entrance of the Theotokos

11/21/2025

~By His Eminence Metropolitan PANTELEIMON of Antinoes The Entrance of the Ever Virgin Mary and Theotokos in God’s Temple is considered to be one of the most important events in the History of Salvation. All the Orthodox Church around the world is celebrating the Entrance of the Mother of God, the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, into the Holy of Holies. The faithful and all the heavenly Powers conjoin and concelebrate. Earth rejoices and the

The Stewardship of Saints Joachim and Anna

09/09/2025

Published 3/17/94 Much of the life of the Virgin Mary has been revealed to us from a book known as the “Protoevangelion of James.” Although not considered a canonical book of Holy Scripture, it contains vital information pertaining to the life of the Virgin Mary. From this book we also learn about the parents of the Virgin Mary, Ss. Joachim and Anna. It is important to study this saintly couple for we gain a good

On the Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos

09/08/2025

Sermon preached by Melissa Nassiff on Sunday, March 4, 2018 at St. Mary Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Good morning! Once again March is Antiochian Women’s month, and throughout the Archdiocese, women are serving their parishes in some of the more visible ways: taking the collection, taking part in the Great Procession, ushering, assisting with communion, and giving a homily. Last year,

The Dormition of Saint Anna

07/25/2025

Saint Anna (also Ann or Anne, from Hebrew Hannahחַנָּה, meaning “favor” or “grace”) of David’s house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian Tradition. St Anna is the Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah. Mary’s mother is not named in the canonical gospels. Christian view: According to the Gospel of James, a document of the New Testament apocrypha, St Anna and her husband St

Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: The Conception of Mary

12/09/2024

On the ninth of December the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the conception of the Virgin Mary by her parents Joachim and Anna.1 On this major festival which finds its place in the Church’s preparation for Christmas, the faithful rejoice in the event by which Mary is conceived in fulfillment of her parents’ prayers in order to be formed in the womb, born on the earth, dedicated to the Lord, and nurtured in holiness

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

09/09/2024

Saint Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. The couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their

Archive

Sts Joachim and Anna, parents of Blessed Mary (Theotokos)

Homily on the Birth of the Theotokos

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part I)

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God (9 December)

The Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. The Entrance of the Theotokos

The Stewardship of Saints Joachim and Anna

On the Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos

The Dormition of Saint Anna

Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: The Conception of Mary

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

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