World Day for Grandparents

Richard A. Sokerka

As the grandfather of six — Grace Elizabeth, Mitchell Allan, Jacob Andrew, Ryan William, Julia Rose and Luke Andrew — I am looking forward to the Catholic Church’s first celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, July 25, the closest Sunday to the feast day (July 26) of Ss. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

It was on the last day of January that Pope Francis announced that a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday in July to honor all grandparents and the elderly who are so important to their communities and the Church.

And as this historic day in the Church approaches, the Pope sent a message to all of us who have reached a “venerable age” as senior citizens as he has at 84.

He told older Catholics that God is close to them and still has plans for their lives.

“The Lord is always close to us. He is close to us with new possibilities, new ideas. You know that the Lord is eternal; he never, ever goes into retirement.”

“Think about it,” he wrote, “what is our vocation today, at our age? To preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young and to care for the little ones. Never forget this.”

“It makes no difference how old you are, whether you still work or not, whether you are alone or have a family, whether you became a grandmother or grandfather at a young age or later, whether you are still independent or need assistance,” he said. “There is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren. You just need to set out and undertake something new.”

Turning to the importance of prayer, Pope Francis told seniors, “Your prayer is a very precious resource: a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need,” Pope Francis wrote, “especially in these difficult times for our human family, your intercession for the world and for the Church has great value.”

Pope Francis has set in motion the mission for grandparents in his message: celebrate World Day for Grandparents and every day by proclaiming the Gospel and passing on our faith in the one, true Church founded by Jesus Christ to our grandchildren.