When Pope Francis established the fourth Sunday of July as the annual date of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly back on Jan. 31, he shared the hope that all generations of the global Catholic community would join in the observance.
Among those fulfilling his wish locally July 25 at the first annual observance in Toms River’s St. Maximilian Kolbe Church were eight members of three generations of parishioner Catherine Allen’s family. There, they gathered with hundreds of faithful as Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrated the inaugural observance which was livestreamed.
“It was so good to celebrate this first Mass for Grandparents and the Elderly in a multi-generational way,” said Allen, who was joined by her children and grandchildren. “I am feeling so blessed to be here, connected to family.”
Heart of Family
This first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly took place on the Sunday nearest to the memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. The theme this year, “I am with you always,” served as a reason for celebration by all generations.
Bishop O’Connell began his homily by sharing a warm memory of his own grandmother and how she intervened to secure a toy for him when he was a little boy out on a shopping trip with her and his mother.
It was only one of many treasured memories of his grandmother, Bishop O’Connell said, that keep her special place alive in the loving heart of the O’Connell family.
Such memories permeate the writings of Pope Francis, he noted. “In his writings, he speaks lovingly, using words like gift and treasure to describe the elderly and rightly so” for the gifts they have received from a generous God are without measure.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mass for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
In his writings, Pope Francis had also expressed concern that grandparents and the elderly are often forgotten, but offered encouragement that, in the darkest moments, the Lord sends angels to console their loneliness.
Pastoral guidelines for this new annual celebration from the Vatican Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life see “a way of incorporating attention for the frail elderly into the routine fabric of our pastoral work,” through such things as prayer, addressing the issue of loneliness and creating solidarity networks.
Drawing upon the Scripture Readings of the day – 2 Kings 4:42-44 and John 6:1-15 – which both speak to times of famine and hunger mitigated by God the Father in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New, the Bishop offered a vision for God’s generosity in this case.
“God feeds us and understands us, he understands our circumstances and responds. … God’s generosity knows no bounds, it’s freely shared,” he said. “When we accept God’s love, even more love is offered.”
This generosity applies to old age, he said, and is a message for the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. “God understands us as we age,” no matter the circumstances – working or retired, independent or in need of assistance – and responds with generosity.
Stating there “is no retirement age for proclaiming the Gospel,” Bishop O’Connell encouraged the many elderly listening “on this special day” to return that assistance by taking on “a new vocation” and sharing their experiences of wisdom and faith to help secure a “right place in a world” for “the young, old and in between.”
Priceless Gift
Deacon Stanley Kwiatek and his wife Barbara greeted the news with good cheer that their parish would welcome Bishop O’Connell as celebrant of the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly Mass.
Grandparents of seven ranging in age from 19 to 8, Barbara Kwiatek said the special day is important for the family as a whole. The older generations – be they grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are vital to family life, she said. “They teach children where they come from, they share how things were and how things have changed.”
Passing on such knowledge is a special mission of hers, she added. “From the time they were born, I made scrapbooks for every one of the grandchildren,” that would help them be familiar with their family life and their own activities."