First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on July 25, 2021

" I am with you always. "

" I am with you always " (cf. Mt 28,20) is the theme of the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated on Sunday, July 25, 2021, says the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life this Tuesday, April 20.

The theme, chosen for this day by Pope Francis, " is a way of expressing the closeness of the Lord and the Church to every older person, especially in these challenging pandemic times."

This theme is "also a promise of closeness and hope that young and old can mutually share," says the dicastery: while "young people are called upon to be present in the lives of older people ", the elderly " also have a mission of evangelization, proclamation and prayer, and of encouraging young people in their faith."

In order to encourage the celebration of this World Day in the local churches and associations, from mid-June the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life will offer some pastoral tools that will be available on the website www.amorislaetitia.va

Because the Day is part of the Year for the Family - Amoris laetitia, as Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery, pointed out last January: this Day is the first fruit of the Year of the Family, "a gift for the whole Church destined to stay over the years."

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

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

Pope Francis instituted the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on the fourth Sunday in July, in the run-up to the liturgical memory of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus' grandparents.

April 20, 2021 8:40 p.m.

(Communiqué from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)

The MCR, The Christian Movement of Pensioners, the French branch of LAI, immediately acceded to The Proposal of Pope Francis; the governing bodies of the movement are currently mobilizing local officials and members of the movement so that, on July 25, they organize in the parishes an operation called "tea time": it will be a festive time but also a time of exchange so that "young and old can share their dreams and together build the world of tomorrow".

Information can be found on the site:  www.mcr.asso.fr