The Mission Statement of the Catholic Grandparents Association is to assist Grandparents in passing on the Faith and to keep prayer at the heart of family life.
This is done through annual Grandparents' Pilgrimages in Our Lady's Shrine, Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland; The Friars, Aylesford Priory, Kent, England; National Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham, Norfolk; Lourdes Grotto, Scotland. Grandparents' Pilgrimages also take place in America, Australia, Germany, Austria and Nigeria.
The Children's Prayer Appeal is an integral part of each pilgrimage. Children are invited to write prayers for their Grandparents. The prayers are brought to the altar during the offertory of the Pilgrimage Masses. Some of these prayers were published in Prayers for Grandparents, edited by Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association (ISBN 978 184730 2533, Veritas Publications, 2010).
Grandparents' Day in Schools is now a fixed event in many schools worldwide. Grandparents visit schools and speak to pupils about their Faith and growing up.
The Universal Prayer for Grandparents was specially written for the Catholic Grandparents Association by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. The prayer is said at all branch meetings and has been shared with faith groups throughout the world.
An integral part of the Catholic Grandparents Association is setting up branches at parish level. These act as prayer and support groups for Grandparents. Grandparents have a unique vocation that must be fostered and cherished in the spirit of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus and parents of Mary.
The Catholic Grandparents Association is a voluntary based organisation and a registered charity (20074104).