The Church will celebrate the fifth annual World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, July 27.
Instituted by Pope Francis in 2021, the date falls each year on the Sunday closest to the Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis called grandparents and the elderly “a treasure in the family,” and the World Day of Prayer is an opportunity to honor and celebrate those who have dedicated their lives to raising faith-filled families. Organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, the day also provides an opportunity to reflect on the hope and guidance that the elderly bring to their families and communities.
Carrying Hope for Family
This year’s theme for the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly, announced by Pope Leo XIV, was taken from the Book of Sirach: “Blessed are those who have not lost hope.” (Sir 14:2). The Holy Father spoke about the importance of honoring grandparents during a June 1 Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly.
Pope Leo called on grandparents and the elderly to “watch over your loved ones with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that comes with age. … Families are the cradle of the future of humanity.”
The emphasis on the family, whether biological, spiritual, or chosen, is an integral part of our faith. “In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires our good, always,” said Pope Leo.
The late Pope Francis’ 12-year papacy was marked by a devoted solidarity with this population. The late Holy Father expressed a strong concern for the societal abandonment of the elderly, a phenomenon which he pointed to as “one of the most urgent issues facing the human family at this time.”
Remembering with Generosity
In the Diocese of Trenton, the day is further commemorated by the fourth annual diocesan collection benefiting retired, elderly and infirm priests July 26 and 27, whom Bishop David O’Connell calls the “spiritual grandparents” of the community, in a 2023 statement.
Bishop O’Connell began this collection in 2022, inspired by Pope Francis’ institution of the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly. Approximately 80 retired priests in the Diocese have given the witness of their lives; many continue to celebrate Mass and the Sacraments in parishes of the Diocese, remaining active in the community in their retirement. All parishioners are encouraged to support our Diocese’s “spiritual grandfathers” through participation in the collection.
The Bishop stated, “I invite all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese, once again, to show the generosity for which I have come to know you so well by contributing to the fourth annual collection for the priests who truly are our spiritual grandfathers. They, too, deserve our love and gratitude in their twilight years!”
For more information about the collection, contact the Office of Communications at 609-403-7169; dotcomm@dioceseoftrenton.org.
To read Pope Leo’s letter on the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly visit HERE.