This past Sunday was the first celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Fr. Steve Shott, OSFS, shares the history behind this celebration.
Many countries have holidays honoring grandparents. Some choose fixed days: Poland celebrates on January 21 (grandmothers) and 22 (grandfathers); Brazil, Portugal, and Spain on July 26; Mexico on August 28; Italy on October. 2; and Russia on October 28 and the United States on September 12. Others have chosen different Sunday’s throughout the year to celebrate grandparents.
This year, for the first time in history, the Catholic Church dedicated the fourth Sunday of July (the Lord’s Day closest to the Memorial of Saints Ann and Joachim on 7/26) as the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. According to tradition, Saints Ann and Joachim are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus.
In instituting this annual celebration, Pope Francis said he was moved to establish it not just because of the importance of grandparents and the elderly, a theme on which he has often spoken, but particularly because of the neglect and isolation so many grandparents and seniors experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions, nursing-home policies and fear for their safety prevented their being visited and embraced by their loved ones.
To bring more attention to the day, Pope Francis has granted a special blessing (traditionally called an indulgence). This blessing is for all who unite themselves spiritually to liturgical celebrations even if they are unable to leave their homes, and for those who visit, in person or virtually, their grandparents or elderly brothers and sisters in need.
The role of grandparents in the life of the family has been a constant theme Pope Francis has returned to many times during his pontificate. Speaking to a conference on the elderly in January of 2020, Pope Francis notedt, “God has a large population of grandparents throughout the world … They are the indispensable link in educating children and young people in the faith.”
In 2015 the Pope said, "The words of grandparents contain something special for young people. And they know it. The words that my grandmother gave me in writing the day of my priestly ordination I still carry with me, always, in the breviary. And I read them often and they do me good."
Finally, in instituting the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis remarked that, “the vocation of grandparents is linked to their vocation as apostles. Just like the Lord “never, ever goes into retirement,” he stated, “there is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren.”
St. Francis de Sales once said, "Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly." We need strong faith-filled grandparents and those who have lived a long life of faith to be a source of inspiration for the young in our homes and parishes. Pray through the intercession of Saints Ann and Joachim that the seeds of faith planted in the souls of the young will grow to produce a rich harvest.
Rev. Steve Shott, OSFS, was pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Fayetteville, NC for six years. The Oblates ministered at St. Ann Parish for 20 years. The Oblates continue to stay close to the people of St. Ann’s in North Carolina and pray for God's special blessing on their feast day. Fr. Shott is currently serving at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Glen Mills, PA.
