Grandparents Day: ‘there’s still work to be done in Lord’s vineyard’

A love only grandparents can give

By Eric Chow

When Pope Francis announced that July 25 would be celebrated as the Church’s first celebration of World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, I knew it was an ideal opportunity to reflect on the value of grandparents in our lives.

We are a family of seven, and we’re blessed to have both sets of grandparents involved in the lives of our five children.

Watching the interactions between our kids and their grandparents has been eye-opening for me, not having had the same experience with my own grandparents growing up.

I am very grateful for the practical ways in which they help with raising our kids. More importantly, they have loved in different ways according to their temperament and personalities, which are different from ours.

I’ve seen my father teach my son how to work in the garden, reminding me of my own childhood moments gardening. My in-laws have also been able to share a family history with our kids to help form their individual and our family identity.

The biggest blessing comes from the common commitment to Jesus that we all share. Our parents have been there when we celebrate the sacraments with our kids. They pray together regularly and uphold the same Catholic values that we strive to live out as a family.

I am grateful for the witness of faith that loving grandparents can offer. World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly brings long-needed recognition to the important ways that older generations can share with younger ones.

Eric Chow is the director of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Proclaim movement.

The Church-wide celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly July 25 is being called “the first fruits of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year” and “a gift to the whole Church that is destined to continue into the future.”

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life announced the new celebration June 22 and said “the pastoral care of the elderly is a priority that can no longer be postponed by any Christian community.”

March 19 marked the fifth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the beauty and joy of love in the family. The same day Pope Francis announced the Amoris Laetitia Family Year, which ends June 26, 2022, on the occasion of the X World Meeting of Families in Rome with the Holy Father.

From this year onward, every year on the Sunday closest to the feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne (Jesus’ grandparents), the global Catholic Church will honour in a special way all grandparents and elderly people, and Michele Smillie, a coordinator at the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Ministries and Outreach Office, believes the timing is perfect.

The elderly, especially those in care homes, are “the ones who have felt the pandemic the most,” she said. Meanwhile, with the expansion of euthanasia in Canada, the social narrative can leave seniors “thinking they don’t have much to contribute.”

But that’s simply not true, says Smillie.

“God really uses people with wisdom and the elderly to do a lot of things for him,” she said. Abraham, Moses, Tobit, Elizabeth, Zachariah, Simeon, Anna, and many other powerful Biblical figures made “major contributions in their advanced years.”

Whether it is praying for their grandchildren, keeping a living memory of family history, or doing any number of other valuable tasks, “there is still work to be done in the Lord’s vineyard,” Smillie said.

“You are important. You have a lot to contribute. We need, as a Church, to recognize that,” especially as it celebrates the Year of the Family.

This World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, local parishes are encouraged to involve grandparents and seniors in local Masses July 25 by inviting them to read at Mass, bring up the gifts, or contribute or be celebrated in other ways.

Resources can be found on the Vatican’s Amoris Laetitia Family Year site, laityfamilylife.va.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, will say Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral at 11 a.m. that day. It will be streamed live for those unable to attend a celebration in person.

Catholics are also invited to participate by sharing photos of their grandparents or elderly mentors on social media with the hashtag #IAmWithYouAlways or submit their photos and short written reflections of 100-300 words to The B.C. Catholic by email to [email protected].