The Grandparents are present in all the activities and responsibilities exercised in Fondacio. The Elderly, for many years we have called them in our community, with fraternity and respect: the Elders. They are more and more numerous.
Good news concerns Grandparents and Elderly people, as well as their loved ones – children, grandchildren, friends, families. Pope Francis decided at the end of May to establish the « World Day of Grandparents and Elderly People ». Day which will be celebrated every year throughout the Church, on the fourth Sunday of July.
This year 2021, this day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 25.
You can watch and listen to Pope Francis’ message here
Pope Francis takes as a reference in the Scriptures, the grandparents of Jesus: Anne and Joachim to speak with delicacy and affection of the wealth they represent for the generations who receive their experiences, their testimonies, their wisdom. .
The theme of this day: “I am with you always”, is a source of hope and peace. Referring to the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 28, verse 20), this theme manifests God’s concern for each person, whether grandparent or elder, a human and spiritual treasure for all families.
The Pope wishes, by this fact, to underline the urgency of granting Grandparents and the Elderly adequate pastoral attention capable of consciously valuing their spiritual resources, particularly in this time of pandemic which has sorely tested them.
For this day of Sunday, July 25, 2021, Pope Francis sends a letter to Grandparents and the Elderly. You will find it attached. Read it. Meditate on it. Let your Elders know about it. Better yet, have it distributed by their grandchildren as a gift from the heart that marks the recognition and tenderness that are due to them.
Read Pope Francis’ letter here
On the occasion of this first World Day, a prayer has been written and is offered to the Elders to be read and meditated on daily.
- A prayer of thanksgiving for times of joy and for more difficult times
- Prayer that says hope and trust
- Prayer to witness God’s work in every life and for the gospel to be known
- Prayer to the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the world
- A prayer that affirms, in weakness, that God is with everyone, every day until the end of time.
Read the prayer here
In the months to come, we will be proposing reflections, animations, projects around this theme « I am with you every day », to nourish hope and faith, to work for the transmission of what Grandparents and Elders have to offer, to remember with them where we come from and thus better know where we are and where we are going.
To you Grandparents and Elders, members of Fondacio or not, be assured of our recognition and our support. May peace and joy rest with you.
PS: Denis and Marie Jacob have accepted the mandate to be, on behalf of Fondacio, the coordinators of the pastoral « Grandparents and the Elderly » in our community, being in contact with the other countries where Fondacio is present. and with the “Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life”.
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