Infertility and the Intercessions of the Saints
While many saints are petitioned during times of childlessness, Saints Joachim and Anna hold a uniquely profound place in the hearts of the faithful because their struggle is so deeply personal and familiar. They did everything right—they were entirely faithful to God and the Temple, they prayed, fasted, gave alms far beyond what was expected, studied the Law, and labored in virtue—yet they remained childless for decades.
Like any modern couple facing this painful trial, they were troubled and perplexed by their inability to conceive. Weeping over his infertility, Joachim retreated to a shepherd’s field to pray in isolation. With inconsolable tears, Anna lamented her barrenness at home. Recalling how God had previously answered the cries of Sarah and Hannah, Anna lifted her tear-filled eyes to heaven and prayed:
“…You know the pain of childlessness; put an end to the sorrow of my heart and open my womb and make me who am barren fruit-bearing, so that we may bring the one born of me as a gift to You…”
After nearly fifty years of marriage and unwavering faith, their patience was rewarded. They were granted a daughter, Mary, who would become the ever-Virgin Mother of our Lord. Because Christians recognize the powerful way God responded to their lifelong faithfulness, couples in similar circumstances have sought the intercession of the Holy Ancestors of God for nearly two millennia.
A Global Pilgrimage of Hope
Ever since the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos was entrusted with the holy relics of their matron, couples from all corners of the world have written to the monks asking for her prayers. It is a common and moving sight to see husbands travel to the Holy Mountain, climbing the grueling 5,000 stone steps to the Skete just to venerate her relic and pray before her icon.
To support these couples, the Skete includes a beautiful, explicit petition within their divine services:
"Again we pray for health, salvation, and fertility for the servants of God [Names] and for their deliverance from sterility or barrenness."
Grace Beyond Childbearing
Within the Orthodox tradition, it is vital to understand that while the gift of children is a magnificent blessing when God "makes the two one," childbearing is neither automatic nor is it the sole purpose of a Christian marriage.
The inability to conceive a child in no way implies a lack of God's grace, nor does it diminish the sacredness of a marriage. Countless pious couples offer fervent prayers, read the Scriptures, attend services, fast, give alms, and regularly receive the Sacraments, yet still find themselves unable to conceive.
A Crucial Truth: A couple experiencing infertility through no fault of their own is fully loved by God, His Church, and His people. Involuntary childlessness must never be equated with a curse, sin, shame, or a lack of faith.
Embracing God's Plan: Adoption and Spiritual Parentage
The Church serves as an instrument of God's grace, comforting and assisting couples struggling to conceive. At the same time, if a couple exhausts their options and realizes that biological children are not part of God's providential plan for them, the Church gently guides them toward other beautiful expressions of marital love:
The Gift of Adoption: The Church highly encourages adoption, pointing to the blessed example of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, who lovingly served as the adoptive, earthly father of Jesus.
Spiritual Parentage: Couples are encouraged to embrace the profound responsibility of becoming Godparents through Holy Baptism or Chrismation. According to Orthodox canonical tradition, this spiritual bond is entirely equal to that of blood relatives.
The Ministry of the Roseville Shrine
It is with immense devotion, awe, and a sense of humble obligation that our community—as the only parish in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America dedicated to Saint Anna and possessing the holy relics of both Ancestors of Christ—offers special prayers for couples enduring the cross of infertility.
Whenever requested, the names of these couples are also forwarded directly to the Theophileon Brotherhood at the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos for inclusion in their daily prayers.
Through the veneration of their Relics, anointing with oil from their vigil lamps, and the combined cries of our faithful and the Athonite brotherhood, God’s grace has worked wonders. Time and again, couples who once struggled with infertility have been blessed with children through the powerful intercessions of Saints Joachim and Anna.
May these Holy Ancestors of Christ ever intercede on our behalf!
A prayer for couples desiring children:
Hear us, O Merciful and All-mighty God, that our petition be fulfilled by Your Grace. Be merciful, O Lord, to our supplications and remember Your statute, by which You ordained the increase of the human race. Mercifully visit us, that our union which is in You, be preserved by Your help. O Truly-gracious God, by Your power You made all things from nothingness, and established a beginning for all things; You make man in the Image of God and have ordained that the body of a woman conceive with the help of a man, and You taught us that what God has joined together ought never to be sundered. O our God, You sanctified the union of spouses with a high Mystery in which was prefigured the mystical union of Christ with your Church. The bride is joined to the husband and the first friendship is given a new arrangement with a blessing. Look down, O Merciful One, on us Your servants, N. & N., joined together in marriage, and who entreat of You refuge and help, that there be in us mercy, peace, joy and no deed of the evil one. Let us be fruitful, and see our children’s children. And let us enter into Your heavenly tabernacle. This we ask through the intercessions of Sts. Joachim and Anna, for You are a merciful God and Lover of Mankind. Amen.