Where would we be without grandparents, who deliver an estimated £7.3 billion of free childcare each year (Grandparents Plus & Age UK Report, May 2013).
Pope Francis marked Italy’s Grandparents’ Day on 2nd October with a reception of older people and their carers. Here is an excerpt from his speech:
“The Church regards the elderly with affection, gratitude, and high esteem. They are an essential part of the Christian community and of society: in particular they represent the roots and the memory of a people.”
“I think of how many you make yourselves available in parishes for a truly valuable service: some of you are dedicated to decorating the house of the Lord, others as catechists, leaders of the liturgy, others as witnesses to charity. And what about their role in the family? How many grandparents care for grandchildren, simply by passing on to children the experience of life, the spiritual and cultural values of a community and a people!”
Grandparents’ Day was introduced in the UK in 1990 by Age Concern, but has never really taken off here. Perhaps we should celebrate the value of Grandparenting in our parishes on the 26th July on the Feast of St Anne and St Joachim – Mary’s parents and so the Grandparents of Jesus. If your parish does something special to remember Grandparents on this day, or at any other time, please let us know here at Growing Old Grace-fully. We’d love to share it with other parishes.
I leave you with the words of Pope Francis “Dear grandfathers and grandmothers, thank you for your example of love, dedication and wisdom. Continue with courage to bear witness to these values!”