The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has chosen a theme for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly: “In old age they will still bear fruit.” (verse 15 from Psalm 92)
The theme intends to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for society on the whole and for the Church in particular. The theme is also an invitation to reconsider and value grandparents and the elderly who are too often kept on the margins of families, civil communities, and parish communities. According to Pope Francis, “Their experience of life and faith can contribute, in fact, to building societies that are more aware of their roots and capable of dreaming of a future based on greater solidarity.”
Pope Francis established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021. The day takes place annually on the fourth Sunday of July, on or close to the July 26 Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. Last year’s theme was “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28, 20)
Let us pray. “Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this tremendous grace – that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Through Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
