Vida Ascendente in Guatemala

In Guatemala, the first foundations of the movement were laid in 1985, at the initiative of Monsignor Eduardo Fuentes, who, in the face of the exhortations of Pope John Paul II, wanted to make the existence of the Pastoral Care of the Third Age a reality. To that end, a training workshop had been held in Antigua, Guatemala, and a Board of Directors had been formed to follow up on that proposal.

In 1989, the Movement was finally founded in Guatemala, with the support of the aforementioned Board of Directors, especially Mrs. Yolanda Nadler: the first group of elders and retirees that she organized, led to the constitution of the Vida Ascendente movement in our country.

The actions of the movement were immediately approved by the archbishop at the time, Monsignor Próspero Penados del Barrio, and are part of the Family Pastoral Plan of the Archdiocese of Guatemala.

Currently, the president of Vida Ascendente in Guatemala is Doña Maria Eugenia de Gebhardt, supported by a board of directors composed of a vice-president, a treasurer, a secretary, three members and two councillors.

This council meets monthly and organizes formation meetings, spiritual retreats of Advent and Lent and celebrations on important dates for the movement, such as Mother's Day and the feast of San Joaquín and Santa Ana, a model of holiness for grandparents.

Vida Ascendente has six communities with a large number of members, as is the case of the community of Santo Tomás de Aquino, a group of 18 people.

Grandparents' Day was celebrated with great emotion during a meeting with excursion and meal during which the participants share the food they bring themselves.