Saints' relics

September 1, 2007

Catholic-Orthodox celebrations planned for arrival of saints’ relics

By Herald staff

The relics of Saints Joachim and Anna as seen in the Church of the Mother of God Chalkeon, a 10th century church in Thessalonica, Greece.

Catholic and Orthodox Christian parishioners are invited to attend celebrations on Sept. 8-9 in the Sacramento area to mark the official arrival of holy relics of Saints Joachim and Anna to the United States.

Bishop William K. Weigand will gift the relics of Saints Anne and Joachim to Metropolitan Archbishop Gerasimos Michaleas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church in Roseville during a service of thanksgiving on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento.

Father Christopher Flesoras, pastor of St. Anna, and parishioner Joshua Trevino traveled to Greece in early August to receive the relics of Saints Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Christ. Father Flesoras accepted the relics as a gift from priest and monk, Cherubim Apostolou, of the Theophileon Brotherhood of the Skete of Saint Anna, an Orthodox Christian monastic community on Mount Athos in Greece.

Both relics originated in Cologne, Germany, where they were under the personal care of Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, until he gifted them to the Theophileon Brotherhood in a private service in 1997.

Father Flesoras, pastor of St. Anna since 2001, told The Herald he wanted to bring the relics back to California, where they will be enshrined at St. Anna Church “for veneration by all persons of all faiths.” He said the parish will also undertake a special pastoral mission for the support of marriage and family.

Two events to celebrate the arrival of the relics will be held on Sunday, Sept. 9 at St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, located at 1001 Stone Canyon Dr. in Roseville. Archbishop Michaleas will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. The archbishop will also celebrate a 5 p.m. service of supplication, attended by Bishop Weigand, which will be followed by a reception.

Archbishop Michaleas will designate St. Anna as a shrine of the Orthodox Church devoted to the sanctity of marriage and family.

The ecumenical celebrations planned for the arrival of the relics “show not only the importance of the Virgin Mary and her parents by Catholic and Orthodox, but also the joyful cooperation of our sister churches in a practical way,” said Father Michael Kiernan, ecumenical and interreligious officer for the Sacramento Diocese.

More information is available at the Web site, www.gosaintanna.org.