Letter from the Spiritual Advisor

1 October, World Day of Older Persons and International Day of Ascending Life

We must leave this special moment that we are living to "bring our spirituality back to the realities of life, strengthen friendship and fulfill our mission as an apostolate", as we can read in the message of Susell, a member of the Peruvian movement: "Return to our meetings to celebrate them in friendship. To offer the smile of those who have a positive outlook on life, the encouraging words and wise advice of those of us who have already weathered many storms."

I also received greetings from Susana Zonni, our continental coordinator, on the occasion of this global celebration of the elderly as well as the book "The Richness of many years" with the interventions at the First Congress of Pastoral Care of the Elderly in Rome in 2020.

The Navarro Viola Foundation also celebrates the World Day of Older Persons, during which the rights of older persons in the areas of health, ageing and human rights will be discussed. Among the participants, we met Dr. Silvia Gascón, from Isalud University, head of the project "Age-friendly cities", author of "Old age and poverty in Argentina". Our Vida Ascendente movement has collaborated with her for many years.

With the return to life, we, the elderly, know how to take care of ourselves by respecting the instructions. We have been vaccinated and we will be able to come back to life little by little. In this we must be an example in the family and in our parish community. Full of inner life, we go out to transmit hope and comfort in many cases, with the desire to share life with children and grandchildren, as before.

Dr. Guillermo Bustos, a collaborator of our groups in Cordoba, in a writing on "Falls in the elderly" says it very rightly: "The soul must push the body; depressive attitude, loneliness and sadness predispose to illness and falls... First the soul falls, then the body."

Let us get out of confinement, resume our meetings and thus increase the possibility of living and transmitting our enthusiasm and our joy, our spirituality. This will be our celebration of the World Day of Older Persons.

Father Montferrand on September 28, 2021

Spiritual Advisor for Argentina