World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly Set for Sunday, July 23
Sunday, July 23, is the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, established by Pope Francis to be celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of July near the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, and to serve as a joyful and renewed encounter between young and old. The theme for this year’s celebration, selected by the Holy Father, is “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50), taking us back to the joyful meeting between the young Mary and her elderly relative Elizabeth.
“Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth addressed the Mother of God with words that, millennia later, continue to echo in our daily prayer: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’ The Holy Spirit, who had earlier descended upon Mary, prompted her to respond with the Magnificat, in which she proclaimed that the Lord’s mercy is from generation to generation. That same Spirit blesses and accompanies every fruitful encounter between different generations: between grandparents and grandchildren, between young and old. God wants young people to bring joy to the hearts of the elderly, as Mary did to Elizabeth, and gain wisdom from their experiences. Yet, above all, the Lord wants us not to abandon the elderly or to push them to the margins of life, as tragically happens all too often in our time,” said Pope Francis.
The Holy Father says that from the elderly, we receive the gift of belonging to God’s holy people.
“The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future. Let us honour them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”
“For us in the Church, grandparents are often a source of great grace. They help pass on our faith in the love of God,” said Bishop Robert Deeley. “In my conversations with young people, they often speak of what they have learned from their grandparents and how important the influence of their grandparents has been on their own commitment to living their faith. Grandparents and the elderly hold a very special role in the handing on of our faith, including the generous way in which many help with tuition for their grandchildren to attend Catholic schools in Maine. They know the importance of drawing strength and hope from the relationship they have with God in Jesus Christ, and we can truly be grateful for that witness.”
The Catholic Grandparents Association has been at the forefront in campaigning for a greater recognition of grandparents for their role and vocation in passing on their faith to the next generation.
“Grandparents and the elderly are often overlooked, but this new day in the Universal Church calendar is a momentous achievement for grandparents and the elderly and will hopefully reassure them that they are loved and that they are needed,” said Fr. Daniel Greenleaf, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston.
In that spirit, Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston has established the Catholic Grandparents initiative to support grandparents in passing on the faith to their grandchildren through events, meetings, and resources. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month following the 7 a.m. Mass in the chapel of the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul on 122 Ash Street in Lewiston.
In Bradley, Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord will celebrate with a Mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. Ann Church, located on 84 Main Street in Bradley, preceded by a recitation of the St. Ann Chaplet. Following Mass, a reception will be held in the church hall.
In Portland, a special Mass and procession on the Feast Day of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 26, at 7 p.m. at St. Pius X Church on 492 Ocean Avenue. Those gathered will give thanks for the grandparents in our lives. All are welcome. A reception will follow the Mass in the parish hall.
In Westbrook, the Sodality of St. Anne at St. Hyacinth Church cordially invites all to an evening of prayer in celebrating the Feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. in the chapel of the church, located on 268 Brown Street. The gathering will include the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
“Dear grandparents, dear elderly persons, we are called to be artisans of the revolution of tenderness in our world! Let us do so by learning to make ever more frequent and better use of the most valuable instrument at our disposal and, indeed, the one best suited to our age: prayer,” said Pope Francis. “The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to proclaim once more, with joy, that the Church wants to celebrate together with all those whom the Lord – in the words of the Bible – has ‘filled with days.’ Let us celebrate it together! Let us make sure that no one feels alone on this day.”
For further resources on the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, click here.
