For some centuries now, the Nativity of Mary has been assigned to September 8 both in the East and in the West. However, in ancient times it was celebrated on different dates from place to place. When the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (which developed later than that of the Birth) was extended to the whole Church, Mary’s Nativity became assigned little by little everywhere to September 8, in order to correspond to nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. READ MORE It is probable that Joachim is named in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). Here Heli, a short form of Eliachim or Jehoachim, is given. This tradition would then account for Joachim appearing in a second-century apocryphal work, which also provides his wife’s name as Anne.