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Young people, the elderly, and the prophecy of Joel

Pope: 'care for the elderly, don't leave them alone'

Pope Francis has established a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will take place for the first time on the fourth Sunday in July, 25 July 2021 on the theme 'I am with you always' (Mt 28:20), close to the feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

Recalling the upcoming feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – when the elderly Simeon and Anna encountered the child Jesus and recognized Him as the Messiah – Pope Francis said, "the Holy Spirit even today stirs up thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly." The voice of the elderly "is precious," he said, "because it sings the praises of God and preserves the roots of the peoples."

The elderly, he continued, "remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between the different generation, to pass on to the young the experience of life."

He emphasized the importance of grandparents and grandchildren getting to know one another, because "as the prophet Joel says, grandparents seeing their grandchildren dream," while "young people, drawing strength from their grandparents, will go forward and prophesy."


Bishop Denis Nulty, chair of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Council for Marriage and the Family has welcomed Pope Francis' World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, as a timely reminder for the whole Church to be close to all the elderly and grandparents at this time of pandemic. 

Parish resources available to celebrate this special day include:


Prayer for the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

I thank You, Lord,
for the comfort of Your presence:
even in times of loneliness,
You are my hope and my confidence,
You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth!

I thank You for having given me a family
and for having blessed me with a long life.
I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty,
for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me.
I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You call me.

Increase, O Lord, my faith,
make me a channel of your peace,
teach me to embrace those who suffer more than me,
to never stop dreaming and to tell of your wonders to new generations.

Protect and guide Pope Francis and the Church,
that the light of the Gospel might reach the ends of the earth.
Send Your Spirit, O Lord, to renew the world,
that the storm of the pandemic might be calmed,
the poor consoled and wars ended.

Sustain me in weakness
and help me to live life to the full
in each moment that You give me,
in the certainty that you are with me every day,
even until the end of the age.
Amen.