Catholic Grandparents Association Timeline

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  • 2002 The inaugural Walsingham Annual Grandparents Pilgrimage at the Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham, Norfolk, England, held to honour and thank St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of Mary, Grandparents of Jesus and all Grandparents for all they have done for us throughout the ages particularly in the transmission of the Faith.   Spiritual  Patrons of the CGA.

  • 2002 Papal Blessing from Blessed Pope John Paul II

  • 2006 Attended the Lay Pastoral Assembly in Tuam. Suggested Grandparents Pilgrimage as a means of affirming grandparents and encouraging them to embrace their vocation of passing on the Faith.

  • 2006  Requested Pope Benedict XVI to write a Universal Prayer for Grandparents

  • 2007 Inaugural Knock Annual National Grandparents Pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Shrine, Knock, led by Archbishop Michael Neary, CGA Patron, with 5,000 grandparents.

  • 2007 Apostolic Papal Blessing received from Pope Benedict XVI

  • 2007 First National Children’s Prayer Appeal.  Children wrote prayers for their grandparents. 6,000 prayers are kept in the Knock Museum.

  • 2007 Grandparents Day in Schools introduced in Ireland.

  • 2007 Visited Pontifical Council for the Family in Rome to explain the mission and workings of the CGA

  • 2008 Received the Universal Prayer for Grandparents composed by Pope Benedict XVI at our request, now translated into all major languages

  • 2008 10,000 attended the 2nd Knock Grandparents Pilgrimage.  Father Liam Lawton wrote a song for Grandparents – ‘Let Every Generation.’

  • 2008 Invited to attend Pontifical Council for the Family Full Plenary Session in the Vatican, entitled ‘Grandparents Witness and Testimony in the Family’, by Cardinal Trujillo

  • 2009 The Catholic Grandparents Association is officially launched at the 3rd National Grandparents Pilgrimage in Knock by Cardinal Seán Brady.

  • 2009 Presented the Pope’s Universal Prayer in Spanish in Mexico at the 6th World Family Congress.  Distributed 40,000 copies in Spanish and in English at the congress

  • 2009 Inaugural Grandparents Pilgrimage America in Palm Beach, Florida on 26th September with Bishop Barbarito.

  • 2009 Inaugural German Grandparents Pilgrimage at Our Lady’s Shrine, Schoenschtatt.

  • 2011 Inaugural Aylesford Grandparents Pilgrimage led by Bishop John Hine, now patron

  • 2011 Workshops held in Bristol and Brighton.  Appointed to Eucharistic Adoration Sub-Committee of IEC2012. Addressed Legatus Dublin Conference and Novenas and churches across the country, opening several Branches of CGA.

  • 2011 Inaugural Scottish Grandparents Pilgrimage in Carfin, with Bishop Peter Moran.

  • 2011 Addressed the European Shrine Directors Conference in Walsingham, England

  • 2011 Addressed the inaugural gathering of Grandparents in Brighton & Arundel Diocese, England

  • 2011 Addressed the New Evangelization Conference in the Vatican at the invitation of Archbishop Fisichella

  • 2011 – 1st Grandparents Pilgrimage in Liverpool, England with Bishop Kelly

  • 2012 March Documentary with EWTN

  • 2012 May: Catherine Wiley founder, presented the work of the Catholic Grandparents Association at the 7th World Family Congress Meeting in Milan.

  • 2012 May – Meeting with Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston to explain the work and mission of the CGA

  • 2012 May – Meeting with Cardinal Pell of Sydney to explain the work and mission of the CGA.   Australian contacts appointed.

  • 2012 June: Catherine Wiley founder Presented the work of the Catholic Grandparents Association at the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin

  • 2012 June Private Meeting with Cardinal Dolan of New York in Ireland to explain the work and the mission of the CGA

  • July 2012 – Inaugural Grandparents Pilgrimage in Malta

  • 2012 September 10th – 14th  Filming of mini-series “The Three Wise Women” in conjunction with the Catholic Grandparents Association for EWTN for worldwide transmission

  • 2012 CGA established in Malta, the Philippines with Bishop Gilbert Garcera, the Solomon Island with Archbishop Adrian Smith, Durban, South Africa with Cardinal Napier, Massachusetts, America with Cardinal O’Malley

  • 2012 September 24th   Attended meeting in Rome with the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation to plan events for the Year of Faith

  • 2012 November   Meeting with the Pontifical Council for the Family to discuss Pilgrimage for Families and Grandparents in Rome

  • 2012 December  Statutes for the Catholic Grandparents Association submitted to Archbishop Michael Neary, Patron of the CGA in Ireland

  • 2012 Pilgrimages in Knock in Ireland, Walsingham, Aylesford & Liverpool in England, Carfin in Scotland, Palm Beach in USA, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia,  Malta, Gibraltar, Brittany, Fatima, Shrewsbury.

  • 2013 January    Meeting in Rome with Archbishop Fisichella of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation to discuss the Pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. Peter on 17th/18th May to celebrate the Year of Faith.

  • 2013 January 11th Inaugural meeting of the Irish CGA Working Group

  • 2013 March Requested Scottish Bishops’ Conference to appoint a Chaplain for the CGA in Scotland

  • 2013 April 24th   Phil Butcher, Director – Commission for Justice and Social Responsibility Marriage and Family Life Diocesan Coordinator in the Diocese of Brentwood is appointed Vice-President of the CGA International

  • 2013 April 26th   Decree received from Archbishop Michael Neary giving recognition to  the Statutes of the Catholic Grandparents Association

  • 2013 May   Gathering of all the Lay Associations and Movements in the Catholic Church during which our Founder, Catherine Wiley met with Pope Francis

  • 2013 July 13th   Grandparents Pilgrimage in Aylesford led by Bishop Emeritus John Hine

  • 2013 July   Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of Kerry became Spiritual Advisor of the CGA

  • 2013 July 26th – 2nd Pilgrimage in Malta

  • 2013 July 26th – First Grandparents Pilgrimage and launch of the Catholic Grandparents Association in the Philippines led by Bishop Gilbert Garcera

  • 2013 July 28th – 11th Pilgrimage in Walsingham

  • 2013  August – Our Founder, Catherine Wiley visited Korea and Japan

  • 2013 August 18th – 3rd Pilgrimage at Carfin, Scotland led by Bishop Emeritus Joseph Devine

  • 2013 September 8th – 7th Grandparents Pilgrimage at Knock being attended by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Coadjutor Bishop of Armagh, Monsignor Carlos Simon Vazquez, Under Secretary to Archbishop Paglia of the Pontifical Council for the Family and his Assistant, Fr. Victor Ghio

  • 2013   September 8th – Annual Grandparents Pilgrimage in Slovakia

  • 2013   October 26th/27th   – 1st Pilgrimage of Families to the Tomb of St. Peter with Pope Francis

  • 2013 Nov 23 –  Meeting with Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s staff at The Archdiocese of New York ‘Office of Family Life & Respect Life’ to discuss introduction and implementation of the CGA into the NY Archdiocese.

  • 2013 Nov 24 – Meeting with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzo to discuss the introduction and implementation of the CGA into the Diocese of Brooklyn.

  • 2013 Nov 24 – TV interview by NETNY.net with Catherine Wiley.

  • 2013 – Nov 24 – Interview by the Brooklyn Diocesan newspaper, The Tablet, with Catherine Wiley.

  • 2013 – Nov 24 – Sirius radio interview by Msgr. Jim Lisante with Catherine Wiley.

  • 2013 – Nov 25th – Cardinal Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York endorsed the Catholic GrandparentsAssociation.
  • 2013 – Dec 1st – Cardinal Pell launched the Australian Chapter of the CGA on the first Sunday of Advent in Sydney at St Mary’s Cathedral. Cardinal George Pell was the celebrant and gave a homily, which described the genisis of the CGA.
  • 2013 Dec 7th – Bishop Gilbert – CGA launch in the Diocese of Legazpi and Caceres in Philippines, In Legazpi there were 400 Grandparents who attended our orientation and the launching of the CGA.
  • 2014 – Jan – Meeting with Vinny Barretta discussing the introduction of the CGA to the USA
  • 2014 – Feb 9th – World Marraige Day St.Malachy’s Church, 239 West 49th Street, New York, NY, 10019
  • 2014 – Feb 27th – Invited to meeting with Pontifical Council for the Family to discuss a forthcoming event in September, this year specifically for Grandparents and Grandchildren.
  • 2014 Feb 18th – Planning for Eighth National Grandparents Pilgrimage to the Shrine of our Lady of Knock on the 14th September. Archbishop Charles Brown, Papal Nuncio, will be our Chief Celebrant and Father Liam Lawton will be our Guest Singer.
  • 2014 Feb 16th – Annual Meeting for The Catholic Grandparents Association in Ireland.
  • 2014 March 17th –Matthew Kelly, Founder Dynamic Catholic meets Catherine Wiley, Founder of the CGA, in Palm Beach Florida.
  • 2014 April 5th – Catholic Grandparents Association attend the 9th Divine Mercy Conference at Cardinal Spell High School, Bronx, New York. Catherine Wiley had the pleasure of meeting with featured speakers and the panel of Divine Mercy Experts and introduce the work of the CGA.
  • 2014 April Divine Mercy Annual Convention Stockbridge April 26th – We were privileged to have met and have dinner with pictured below at The Divine Mercy Conference Stockbridge, This was most memorable occasion full of graces and great hope and joy for the future.
  • 9th May 2014 – Launch of The Catholic Grandparents Association, England & Wales
  • 2014 May CGA Groups inaugurated in Gibraltar
  • 2014 May CGA Groups inaugurated in Spain
  • 2014 May CGA groups inaugurated in Dubai
  • 2014 First Branch Meeting of the CGA in Walsingham with Bishop of East Anglia
  • Walsingham Pilgrimage 26th July 2014 St. John Paul II relic presented to the Catholic Grandparents Association by Monsignor Carlos Simon Vazquez from the Pontifical Council for the Family in acknowledgement and recognition of the work of the CGA
  • September 14th, Knock. National Irish Pilgrimage attended by over 12,000 grandparents and grandchildren. Chief Celebrant, Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown.
  • 28th September 2014 Rome The Blessing of Long Life with Pope Francis Tom Slater, Grandson of Catherine Wiley founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association gave testimony to Holy Father Pope Francis in the presence of Pope Emeritus Benedict in St Peters Square on September 28th 2014 for the first gathering for Grandparents and The Elderly. Catherine also gave testimony and was able to thank Pope Benedict publicly for writing the Universal Prayer for Grandparents for the Association.
  • 18th October 2014 Grandparents Pilgrimage Palm Beach A Great Success, Bishop Barbarito welcomed the establishment of The CGA in the Diocese of Palm Beach
  • 19th November 2014 Catherine Wiley Founder of The Cathoic Grandparents Association presenting the Guidelines and statutes to BISHOP AGNELO RUFINO GRACIAS – AUXILIARY BISHOP OF BOMBAY BISHOP DOMINIC SAVIO FERNANDES – AUXILIARY BISHOP OF BOMBAY
  • 5th February – Bishop Alan endorses Catholic grandparents Association (CGA) in Brentwood.
  • 17th January – Scotland Launch of The CGA On Saturday, 17th January, we had a visit from Mr Phil Butcher from the Catholic Grandparents Association. The Association is big in Ireland, England and the USA. It recognises the wonderful part Catholic grandparents nowadays play in the continuing faith formation of their grandchildren (and even children). About forty people from the diocese came to hear Phil and to experience something of the fundamental ideas that underpin the Association.
  • 22nd – 24th January – The CGA attended the Synod of Bishops, Lineamanta.  ‘The Pastoral Challenges facing the Family in the Context of Evangelisation’.  From the 22nd to the 24th of January, Catholic Grandparents Association joined with almost 300 delegates from 82 of the national and international family movements and associations, from 26 countries on five continents. Invited by the Pontifical Council for the Family, the event was convened to consider our respective responses to the Relatio Synodi, the report issued after the Extraordinary Synod in October.
  • Sunday February 22nd – Trim Church Gate Collection.  Despite biting winds and pouring rain, the Annual Church Gate Collection in Trim, a beautiful town about 30 miles north west of Dublin, went ahead as planned. The collection was attended by our Founder, Catherine Wiley, who was visiting the area. She stopped and spoke with the many people attending the masses at St Patricks and other nearby parishes. The collection, which was organised by Martin Daly.
  • Sunday February 22nd – Navan – All Ireland Gathering. Delegates from all across Ireland gathered in Navan, County Meath, Ireland, for the all Ireland Gathering on Sunday 22nd February 2015. About 40 people had made the journey to hear the latest developments in the CGA and also to share with each other the progress made in so many areas across Ireland.
  • Catherine Wiley presented the Guidelines of The Catholic Grandparents Association to Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Detroit USA at The 10th Annual Divine Mercy Conference, Cardinal Spellman High School One Cardinal Spellman Place Bronx, New York 10466 United States