On July 26—the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne
—the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was celebrated.

In his message for this occasion, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV stated: "The celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all and that, at any age, it is always possible to discover oneself as a son or daughter of God. May this Day, therefore, encourage everyone—especially the young—to resume the beautiful habit of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of their families, and those who receive no visitors. Through this message and your presence, bring them the Pope’s closeness and affection. Ensure that the prophet’s words—'I will never forget you'—take the form of a tender and loving encounter".

The theme chosen for this Day—"I will never forget you" (Isaiah 49:15)—highlighted that God’s love for each person never fails, even amidst the frailty of old age.

To demonstrate our unity across the globe, we mobilized our member movements for this Day and invited them to participate in a powerful visual and spiritual initiative: "One prayer, many time zones."

The response to this call was unanimous and enthusiastic; a joint project was developed in the form of a colorful mosaic in which each country was represented, offering a prayer intention for the Day—sometimes in the original language.

This visual, which was widely shared with the movements and used during the July 26th observance, demonstrated the strength of our association and its ability to unite continents for a common cause.

With sincere good wishes,

Monique Ptak
President of Vie Montante Internationale

VMI Prayers for Grandparents' Day