July 25th will be the first “World Grandparents and Elders Day” set by Pope Francis. On this occasion, in a video, the pope prayed with men and women from different continents for the end of the new crown epidemic and the war, and thanked the Lord for all the joys and hardships experienced in his life. “World Grandparents and Seniors Day” mass will be presided over by Archbishop Fisiqueira.
(Vatican News Network)The Sunday July 25th is the first “World Grandparents and Elders Day” set by Pope Francis. On this occasion, the Holy See’s Laity, Family and Life Ministry released a video on July 23 of the Pope’s prayers with elders of different places and skin colors. In the video, they prayed for the Lord for the relief of the epidemic and the suppression of the war. At the same time, they also thanked the Lord for the joy and hardships in their long lives, and for the comfort and presence of God who has never been missing in their lives. The sounds of prayer alternated, including the voice of 101-year-old Bishop Laurent Noël.
On “World Grandparents and Elders Day”, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of New Evangelization of the Holy See, will preside over Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica at 10 a.m. At that time, 2,000 church members from the diocese of Rome and members of the community dedicated to the pastoral work of the elderly will attend the ceremony. A statement from the Holy See’s Laity, Family and Life Ministry stated that among the elderly, some grandparents were accompanied by their grandchildren, and hundreds of them will leave for the first time after being forced to quarantine for more than a year due to the new crown epidemic. They live in the nursing home.
At the end of the Mass, the young people in St. Peter’s Basilica will present flowers and the Pope’s message to the grandparents and the elderly present: “I am with you every day.” This is also the theme of World Grandparents and Seniors Day. Parishs and parishes around the world plan to celebrate World Grandparents and Seniors Day in different ways. The Holy See’s Laity, Family and Life Department urges everyone, especially the younger ones, to visit their grandparents or lonely seniors in the group in the days following the celebration of Grandparents and Seniors’ Day. Those who dedicate time to visit the needy and difficult seniors can receive full amnesty, as emphasized in the decree issued by the Pontifical Holy Amnesty Institute. The visit is also a good opportunity to give the Pope’s message to the elderly and reciting the prayers in the prayer video introduced on July 23 with them.
Pope Francis announced after reciting the Three Bells on January 31 this year that starting from this year, the fourth Sunday of July, which is approaching the feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anna, will become the grandparents of the world. Elderly Day. The Pope explained that this day is to celebrate the grace of old age and to commemorate those who have guarded and passed on life and faith before us. The Holy See Press Room announced the Pope’s proclamation on the World Day of Grandparents and Seniors on June 22. In his statement, he emphasized that the vocation of the elderly is to “guard the foundation, pass on faith to the youth, and take care of the young.”
The following are the prayers of grandparents and seniors:
Lord, I thank you for your comfort in being with me. In times of loneliness, you are my hope and my faith. Since young, you have been my rock and my protection.
I thank you for giving me a happy family and enjoy the life of pine and cypress. For all the joys and hardships experienced in life, for the dreams that have been realized and have yet to be fulfilled, I thank you! Lord, I thank you for calling me to this moment when life is fruitful.
Lord, please enrich my faith and make me a tool of your peace; teach me to embrace people who are more painful than me, to always have dreams, and to tell future generations of your wonderful things.
Please protect and lead Pope Francis and your church, so that the true light of the gospel can spread across the world and reach the ends of the earth.
Lord, please send your Holy Spirit to renew the world, so that the plague can subside, the war can be calmed, and the sorrowful can be comforted.
Lord, in this year of wind and candles, please support me and help me to live out every moment you have given me to the fullest, and be sure that You will be with me every day until the end of life.
Amen.
(This prayer was translated by the Etiquette Committee of the Bishops’ Conference of Taiwan)
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