World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

 

Pope Francis established a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which took place for the first time on Sunday 25 July 2021 and for the second time on Sunday 24 July 2022.

The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated for the third time in 2023 on Sunday 23 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 celebration is:

“His mercy is from age to age” (Luke 1:50).

The Catholic Grandparents Association has been at the forefront in campaigning for a greater recognition of Grandparents for their role and vocation in passing on their faith to the next generation. The announcement of a new Church-wide celebration for Grandparents and the elderly came in answer to our prayerful request to the Holy Father Pope Francis.

This new worldwide celebration in the Universal Church calendar is a momentous achievement for Grandparents and the Elderly and will hopefully reassure them that they are loved and that they are needed.

We invite you to join us in marking this momentous day in parishes. We have a whole suite of resources and ideas for how you can make this a wonderful celebration for all.

We are delighted to offer some resources and ideas of how you can celebrate this momentous occasion: 

Messages and Catechesis of the Holy Father

Prayers and Liturgical Resources

Plenary Indulgence for the Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Just as with other editions, on the occasion of the Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated on July 23 and whose theme is “His mercy is from age to age” ( Lk 1:50), Pope Francis has granted a Plenary Indulgence for the faithful.

This announcement was made through a Decree issued today by the Apostolic Penitentiary, stating that the Plenary Indulgence is granted “under the usual conditions (Sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) to grandparents, the elderly and all the faithful who, motivated by a true spirit of penance and charity, will participate in the solemn celebration that the Holy Father Francis will preside over in the Vatican Papal Basilica, or in the various functions that will be held throughout the world”.

In the same manner, the Plenary Indulgence will be granted to the faithful who visit their elderly brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty, “such as the sick, the abandoned, the disabled” and to “all those who, unable to leave their homes for serious reasons, will unite spiritually with the sacred services of World Youth Day, offering to the Merciful God their prayers, and the pains and sufferings of their lives, especially while the words of the Supreme Pontiff and the various celebrations are broadcast through the media”.

Suggested events and activities for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly 2023

ENDS