Toni Rowland of MARFAM (Marriage and Family Renewal Ministry) takes a look at the importance of grandparents in the family on the occasion of World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, celebrated each year. MARFAM is a South African faith-based organisation. It focuses on providing spiritual support, educational resources, and workshops to help build, heal, and strengthen modern families.
“Grandparents Matter” has been a very longstanding Marfam message, even from the early days of being a grandparent myself more than 30 years ago, and experiencing the ups and downs of my own journey over the years. It is a unique experience for every family in every social context, but with much in common too. We do love and care and pray for our grandchildren, and also hope that they do the same for us. “Grandparents are family roots” is the theme on Marfam’s Family Year planner for the month of July.
From July 2021, when Pope Francis initiated the special day, he included the elderly, too. Every year on the 4th Sunday of July, near the feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, the Church is invited to commemorate the World Day for Grandparents & The Elderly. Each year, a special message and theme are provided, highlighting a different aspect from a biblical perspective. Pope Francis’ themes have included, Iam with you always, Do not cast me off in my old age””In mercy, he is from age to age”,
Pope Leo XIV’s message for 2026 is “I will not forget you.” The full message can be downloaded from the Vatican website, and a short extract is included below.
The day is an opportunity to focus on the contributions that grandparents and other elderly persons have made but also to highlight their needs. Families, parishes and wider communities, too, are encouraged to celebrate the day with a Mass and blessings. Grandparents and grandchildren could lead prayers for one another and be given a special blessing, while not forgetting all family members and the special treasure of the gift of family. Housebound elderly could be brought to church, and refreshments served. Intergenerational get-togethers at home are very meaningful for all three generations.
Not all grandparents are old, and not all elderly are grandparents, so in ministering to them all, we should consider the vast range of experiences. Pope Leo’s focus this year is quite a sad one. He notes that many of today’s elderly, grandparents or not, do feel lonely, forgotten, a burden on society and on their families. However, he stresses, especially in his message of hope, God’s loving care is never-ending. The prophet Isaiah tells us that God’s love is even greater than a mother’s love when he reminds every single one of us, “but I will not forget you.”
Resources
Marfam Resources – Because of the many possible aspects to the topic, Marfam’s Thoughts For The Day, although based on the scripture of the day, brings out different situations during the month.
For the particular occasion a leaflet with suggestions and prayers can be downloaded from www.marfam.org/grandparents-day-2026
Radio Veritas – Workshops, homilies, parish talks, Radio Veritas Family Matters weekly programmes all highlight many of these areas, the blessed and happy ones of celebrations and togetherness, but also the sad, ugly aspects of abuse and exploitation. For many of us, I believe it is a mixed blessing, with both the joyful times, even when we may feel used but still useful, and other times of loneliness when family members, especially grandchildren, move away or have no time to keep in touch. It does work both ways, of course, we need them, and they need us too.
Brief Extracts from Pope Leo’s Message for the 6th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
Often in Sacred Scripture, especially in the Psalms, prayer springs from the despair of those who feel that their lives are of no interest to anyone and are being neglected. The lives of many elderly people seem to be covered by a veil that blurs the features of their faces and shrouds them in oblivion. This happens in homes where loneliness reigns and care facilities where each person’s uniqueness risks being reduced to a bed number or an illness.
The celebration of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all. May this day be an inspiration for everyone, especially the young, to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of the family and even those who have no one to visit them. Bring them, through this message and your presence, the closeness and affection of the Pope. Do not be afraid of fragility! It is precisely this weakness that holds within itself a new potential, which also illuminates the other stages of life.
- Grandparents Matter: World Day For Grandparents & The Elderly - July 20, 2026
- Fr Paddy Noonan: Why I won’t leave the Church - July 16, 2026
- Mass Readings: 19 July – 26 July, 2026 - July 14, 2026
