Secondary Level

 November 21^st - Entrance of the Theotokos to the Temple

The parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary were Joacheim and Anna.  They were very devout people who loved God very much.   They had been married for many years, but the Lord had not blessed them with children, which they desired very much.  Anna prayed very sincerely to Almighty God that she would one day have the high honor of becoming a mother.  She pledged to present the child to His Holy Temple.  Many years passed, and Anna retained her faith and her hope.  At last God granted her request, and she became the mother of a little girl, whom they named Mary.  In accordance with the tradition of that time, Joacheim and Anna presented their daughter, Mary, to the Temple of God as soon as she turned three years old.  She was presented on November 21^st.  The priests of the Temple raised her there for 12 years, until she was 15 years old  During that time, the children who were dedicated to the Temple of God were given the finest education possible for a period of twelve years, then returned to their homes.  According to the writings of the Fathers of the Church, Mary was received into the Temple by the High Priest, Zacharias, who was later to become the father of St. John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus Christ.  After she returned home at age fifteen, it was not long thereafter when Mary visited by the Archangel Gabriel who told her that she had been selected by God to become the Mother of the Son of God.