Grandparents are our heritage and are essential members of our families and communities. That is why a special day, Grandparents Day in School, is set aside every year to honour them.
On Sunday 28 July, the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly will be marked with the annual national grandparents' pilgrimage to the Shrine of our Lady of Knock in the Archdiocese of Tuam. The chief celebrant for Mass in the Basilica at 3.00pm will be His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor.
Ceremonies in the Basilica will commence with Anointing of the Sick at 2.30pm, with Pilgrimage Mass at 3pm followed by an outdoor Rosary Procession (weather permitting).
The combined choirs of Knock Parish directed by Una Nolan, Director of Music at Knock Shrine will provide the Music at the Mass.
For those who are unable to join the pilgrimage in person, the ceremonies will be streamed live on the Knock Shrine website.
About The World Day For Grandparents & The Elderly
In 2021, Pope Francis announced the establishment of a World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated by the Universal Church every year on the fourth Sunday of July, the Sunday closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus' grandparents. For this year, Pope Francis' has written a message for the Fourth World Day for Grandparents and Elderly on the theme Do not cast me off in my old age (Ps 71:9).
The Catholic Grandparents Association has been at the forefront in campaigning for a greater recognition of Grandparents for their role and vocation in passing on their faith to the next generation. The announcement of a new Church-wide celebration for Grandparents and the elderly came in answer to our prayerful request to the Holy Father Pope Francis.
This new worldwide celebration in the Universal Church calendar is a momentous achievement for Grandparents and the Elderly and will hopefully reassure them that they are loved and that they are needed.