Tradition going back to second century says that the parents of the Virgin Mary are known by the names of Joachim and Anne. Devotion to St Anne is found in the sixth century in the East, and by the tenth century it was widespread in the West. St Joachim was likewise honoured, but at a more recent date. They remind us that the Word truly became flesh in a particular family. Our devotion to them is an extension of our love for Mary and her Divine Son. – CTS New Daily Roman Missal 2012, p 2855; Christian Prayer 1990, p 1178
