The Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne (SJA) exists to passionately lead people to Jesus Christ and the Sacramental life within the Catholic Church. Building on the tradition of the Shakopee Catholic Community, the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne exists to inspire, educate, and demonstrate the truth of Christ by what we say and what we do.  By being an example of how we live the Catholic faith today, we lead our growing community to respond to God’s call with personal commitment and communal action so that we can welcome all in proclaiming the good news. 

In 2012 the three churches in Shakopee: Church of St. Mark, Church of St. Mary, and St. Mary of the Purification of Marystown, were merged by the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis to become the Parish of Saints Joachim & Anne. Our campuses include three (3) church facilities, the school campus for Shakopee Area Catholic School (SACS), and three (3) cemeteries all within Shakopee, Minnesota 55379.

SACS nurtures the body, mind, and soul of each child. We develop morally responsible leaders through rigorous, innovative academics in a welcome and faith-filled Catholic Community. We develop a personal growth plan for each student and our test scores consistently rate above state and national averages.

SACS was established in 1970 as a consolidation of the three Catholic parish schools in Shakopee. In the fall of 2003, construction was completed for the Shakopee Catholic Education Center (SACEC) at the current address of 2700 17th Avenue East, and for the first time in the school's history, SACCS welcomed all of its students united under one roof. In 2013, Shakopee Area Catholic School officially became the parish school of SJA.

SACS is a private Catholic school with over 600 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten (Faithful Beginnings Preschool program) to 8th-grade in middle school. We have over 100 caring staff members.