Grands-Parents © Instagram / Vatican Media

The Pope introduces the

'World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly'

The fourth Sunday in July

Pope Francis instituted World Grandparents and The Elderly Day on the fourth Sunday in July, in the run-up to the liturgical memory of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus' grandparents. For the first celebration of the day, on July 25, 2021, he will celebrate a Mass.

At the Angelus of this January 31, 2021, which he celebrated live from the library of the Apostolic Palace, he evoked the feast of February 2, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, "when Symeon and Anne, both elderly, enlightened by the Holy Spirit recognized in Jesus the Messiah": "The Holy Spirit still arouses today in of the elderly thoughts and words of wisdom. said the pope: their voice is precious because it sings the praises of God and it protects the roots of peoples. »

Seniors, he added, "remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, to pass on to young people an experience of life and faith." But grandparents are often "forgotten," the pope lamented: "We forget this wealth of protecting the roots and transmitting... It is important that grandparents meet their grandchildren and that their grandchildren meet their grandparents, because, as the prophet Joel says, grandparents will dream in front of their grandchildren, they will have illusions [great desires], and young people, by taking the strength of their grandparents, will walk, prophesy. »

Announcement of the establishment of The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.

This Day, Cardinal Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, explains in a statement, is the first fruit of the Year of the Family, "a gift for the whole Church destined to remain over the years."

"The pastoral care of the elderly is a priority that can no longer be postponed for any Christian community," adds the prefect, who expresses the Vatican's commitment "to work to eliminate the culture of waste and to enhance the charisma of grandparents and the elderly."

The Dicastery invites parishes and dioceses around the world to "find ways" to celebrate the Day at the local level.