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The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Thursday 16 March 2023 online via Zoom. The CGA is delighted to announce Father Bryan Shortall Ofm Cap as guest speaker. He will speak on the theme of the Stations of the Cross.   Fr Bryan Shortall OFM Cap joined the Capuchin Order in 1987 and was ordained…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Wednesday 15 February 2023 online via Zoom. The CGA is delighted to announce Sister Dervilla O’Donnell as guest speaker. She will speak on the theme of the Ministry of Healing.  Sister Dervilla O’Donnell is a Medical Missionary of Mary. She is Healthcare Chaplain at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co…

The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe invites artists to think and create together on the figure of Saint Joseph!  How do we see in 2023 this Patron saint of the Catholic Church, Patron of fathers, and Patron of workers? This call for art works embodies two of the directions set by Pope Francis:…

Pope Francis releases his message for the 31th World Day of the Sick, and urges Catholics to heed the example of the Good Samaritan showing compassion and taking care of the sick in a world that discards the most vulnerable. As the Church journeys along the synodal path, Pope Francis is inviting the faithful to…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 10 January 2023. The CGA is delighted to announce Bishop Kevin Doran as guest speaker.  He will speak on the theme of Grandparents as counter cultural influencers in the family. Bishop Kevin began his seminary formation at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe (1970-1974) and completed his preparation for ordination…

There is a custom of blessing homes on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January) when the family gather to ask God’s blessing on their home and family life. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our homes. Instructions for Blessing the Home Using the blessed chalk (which many parishes…

It was with sadness that we heard the news today, the last day of 2022, that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died. We are grateful that he passed peacefully in the place he came to call home, the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered for many things, including as one of…

We are sending you warm greetings for Christmas from the Catholic Grandparents Association: Wishing the light of the Christmas star to you. The warmth of home and hearth to you. The cheer and good will of friends to you. The hope of a childlike heart to you. The joy of a thousand angels to you.…

Advent has begun. Advent, (from Latin adventus, “coming”), in the Christian church calendar, is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Advent is often described as a time of devout and expectant delight. Advent is also best described as…

We are living a famine of peace – Pope Francis In his message for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis addressed the need for peace in our world. He said, “Our world is passing through a time of trial and testing, beginning with the sudden, violent outbreak of the pandemic,…

Ní imithe uainn atá siad, ach imithe romhainn. They are not gone from us, but gone before us. Belief in the resurrection of the dead is an essential part of Christian revelation. It implies a particular understanding of the ineluctable mystery of death. Death is the end of our earthly life, but ‘not of our…

Pope Francis continued his catechesis series on discernment at the Wednesday General Audience on 19 October, and urged each of us to examine the story of our life in order to discover the hidden footsteps of Jesus. The Pope focused his attention on how our life’s story can reveal God’s hidden actions. He said, “Our…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 8 November 2022. The CGA is delighted to announce Father Liam Lawton as guest speaker.  He will speak on the theme of Remembrance. Father Liam Lawton is well known in liturgical music circles. From Ireland, Liam has been composing music in the Celtic idiom for many years. Two of…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 11 October 2022. The CGA is delighted to announce Bishop David Oakley, Bishop of Northampton as guest speaker.  He will speak on the theme: ‘Grandparents: Strong roots of faith in the family’. David James Oakley was born on 28th November, 1955 in Stourbridge. He is the eldest of five…

On Saturday 1 October next, the Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA) will host a Ministry Seminar to facilitate those interested in establishing a Grandparents’ Ministry in parishes. The Ministry Seminar is aimed at those starting out and those wishing to enrich and enhance recently established ministries for Grandparents. So, if you are a parish that would like…

We are delighted to share some prayers, reflections and quotes with you as we move on into a real feeling of Autumn and the changing of the Seasons. Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus on 11 September 2022 This first piece is from Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus address on 11 September 2022.  As you read these words…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 13 September 2022. The CGA is delighted to announce Vivek da Silva as guest speaker for September. He will speak on the theme of the Season of Creation. Vivek is an Assistant Professor in Religious Education in Dublin City University.  From 2016 to 2021 he worked with Veritas…

At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reflected on the value of old age, focusing on Daniel’s prophetic dream about the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9-10). The Pope said the vision—known as a theophany—highlights the connection between old age and youth. Everything about the man in the vision is full of “vigour, strength, nobility, beauty,…

Sunday 24 July will see grandparents from across Ireland gathering in Knock Shrine for their annual pilgrimage which coincides with the celebration of the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the newly introduced universal celebration instituted by Pope Francis last year. This year’s pilgrimage will mark a number of firsts: it will be the…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 19 July. The CGA is delighted to announce Archbishop Francis Duffy, Archbishop of Tuam and Patron of the Catholic Grandparents Association as guest speaker. Archbishop Duffy will reflect on the World Day for Grandparents the Elderly. Archbishop Francis Duffy was born on 21 April 1958 in the parish…

The Pope Video for July has just been released with the prayer intention that Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. This month, the Holy Father prays “for the elderly, who represent the roots and memory of a people; may their experience and wisdom help young people to…

In his message for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis addresses the need for peace in our world. He says, “Our world is passing through a time of trial and testing, beginning with the sudden, violent outbreak of the pandemic, and then by a war that is harming peace and…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 14 June.  The CGA is delighted to announce Cardinal Wilfred Napier as guest speaker. He will speak on the theme of “Strengthening the bridge of faith between the generations”.  Born in the small midlands town of Matatliele on 8 March 1941, Wilfrid Fox Napier is one of seven…

In a decree published on Monday, the Apostolic Penitentiary – the Vatican tribunal responsible for issues relating to mercy and the forgiveness of sins in the Church – announced several grants of indulgences for those taking part in the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year falls on Sunday 24 July.…

Pope Francis established a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which took place for the first time on Sunday 25 July 2021. In 2022, the celebration will fall on Sunday 24 July, the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents of Jesus. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this year’s…

Media Release: Tuesday 10 May 2022 – Immediate  Catholic Grandparents Association welcomes the Message of Pope Francis for the Second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly The Vatican has today released Pope Francis’ message for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated on 24 July on the theme ‘In…

“In old age they will still bear fruit” (Psalm 92:15)   Dear Friends, “In old age they will still bear fruit” (Ps 92:15). These words of the Psalmist are glad tidings, a true “gospel” that we can proclaim to all on this second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. They run counter to what the…

In his continuing catechesis on the meaning and value of old age in the light of God’s word, Pope Francis today, Wednesday 27 April, reflected on the figure of the widow Naomi as presented in the biblical Book of Ruth, which he called “a jewel of the Bible.” He told those gathered at Wednesday’s General…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 10 May. The CGA is delighted to announce Father Willie Purcell as guest speaker. Father Purcell will speak on the theme of ‘The role of Grandparents in nurturing vocations to Priesthood and Religious Life’. Father Willie Purcell is Parish Priest of Clara in the Diocese of Ossory in…

I am delighted to bring you the Easter 2022 edition of our newsletter. Click below to download it. CGA NEWSLETTER EASTER 2022 I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy Easter. A Happy Easter is something that seems contradictory when so many people are still very much living out a Good…

As the war wages on in Ukraine and the massacres continue, Pope Francis has appealed for a truce in the war-ravaged nation this Easter. During his remarks following his Angelus address this Palm Sunday, the Pope exclaimed, “Let the weapons be put down! Let the Easter truce begin.” The Holy Father noted that as we…

Each month we publish a monthly Ministry Resource to offer snippets of news and suggested themes for discussion during Ministry meetings. The April issue is now available to view or download. CGA Ministry Resource April 2022  

Episode Two of our brand new podcast is here. This episode features a lively chat with Catherine Wiley and Marilyn Henry of the Catholic Grandparents Association about this year’s World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which will be celebrated on Sunday 24 July 2022. We also hear some snippets from the February and March Grandparents’ Faith Café…

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life has made available a Pastoral Kit for dioceses and parishes to assist with the local celebration of the 10th World Meeting of Families, which will take place from 22 – 26 June. As numbers going to Rome for the event are restricted due to the pandemic, Pope Francis…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 12 April. The CGA is delighted to announce Tara Rafter as guest speaker. She will speak on the theme of ‘The wellbeing and empowerment of Grandparents in a post-pandemic world’. Tara Rafter is an award winning Life Coach, Life Coach Trainer, Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Author and Speaker.…

Archbishop Eamon Martin is encouraging families to pray together and fast for peace this Lent.  Archbishop Martin was speaking as he launched the #LivingLent social media initiative for Lent 2022.  The #LivingLent digital media initiative invites the faithful to use social media to grow closer to God during Lent so as to prepare for the…

Pope Francis has begun a new catechesis series on the meaning and value of old age. The 85 year old Pontiff began the series at his weekly General Audience on 23 February by saying, “We have finished the catecheses on Saint Joseph. Today we begin a catechetical journey that seeks inspiration in the Word of…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 8 March. The CGA is delighted to announce Father Enda Brady as guest speaker for March. He will speak on the theme of ‘The call of Baptism’. Father Enda Brady is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly in Ireland. He is parish priest in the…

Pope Francis has this morning announced the theme for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which will be celebrated this year on Sunday 24 July. The theme, which is taken from Psalm 92:15, is ‘In old age they will still bear fruit’. Expanding on the theme in a series of tweets, the Holy…

We are delighted to bring you the brand new Podcast from the Catholic Grandparents Association which we have called Grandparents’ Faith Café. The first episode of the Grandparents’ Faith Café podcast hears from Catherine Wiley, Founder of the Catholic Grandparents’ Association – about what inspired her to begin this global organisation and what she’s looking…

Tuesday, 1 February 2022, is the Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess and Secondary Patron of Ireland. Saint Brigid is renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. Saint Brigid was born in 454 and she went on to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. The Saint Brigid’s…

As the Church draws closer to the 10th World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Rome on 22-26 June 2022, some short films are being produced to accompany the path of preparation for this event. The Diocese of Rome and the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, which are organizing the Meeting,…

The Grandparents’ Faith Café will open again online on Tuesday 8 February.  The CGA is delighted to announce Dana Rosemary Scallon as guest speaker for February. She will speak on the theme of ‘The Joy of Love in Marriage and Family (especially in Grandparenting)’. Dana Rosemary Scallon, known professionally as Dana, is an Irish singer and…

Our January Ministry Resource is now available to download. Each month we offer a simple one page information leaflet with resources and suggestions for discussion topics at your Ministry meetings. We’d love to hear from you if there is something you would like us to include in the Ministry Resource or if you have a…

Pope Francis has always been a champion of intergenerational dialogue and in 2018 commissioned a book which shares the insights of older people from around the globe with young people today. The award-winning Sharing the Wisdom of Time pools the wisdom of elders with the passion and energy of youth, empowering our younger generations to step into the world of tomorrow…

We wish you every blessing for a Happy and Holy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you for all your support in 2021 for our mission to help grandparents to pass on the faith and to keep prayer at the heart of family life. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been offered for…

I am delighted to be writing to you as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. We prepare for Christmas with the attitudes of Elizabeth and Mary. Like Elizabeth we are open to receive Christ with wonder and joy. Like Mary we are ready to do the will of God as it is made clear to us.…

The Blessing of the Bambinelli (Baby Jesus) is a tradition which began in Rome. Each year on the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday), the Holy Father invites children to bring the Baby Jesus (Bambinelli) from their family Nativity scene to Mass for a blessing. We have been encouraging the observation of this tradition in parishes for a…

The first day of Advent heralds the beginning of the Catholic Church’s new year.  Advent (from ‘ad-venire’ in Latin or “to come to”) is the Church season encompassing the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas.  Advent is a time of spiritual preparation for the Lord’s coming at Christmas.  Advent also…