Midwest Radio - Fourth Sunday of July annually will be World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly midwestradio.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from midwestradio.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
VATICAN: Following the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis announced the institution of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will take place each year on the fourth Sunday in July, close to the feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
Recalling the upcoming feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – when the elderly Simeon and Anna encountered the child Jesus and recognized Him as the Messiah – Pope Francis said, “the Holy Spirit even today stirs up thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly.” The voice of the elderly “is precious,” he said, “because it sings the praises of God and preserves the roots of the peoples.”
February 01, 2021
CWN Editor s Note: The day will take place the fourth Sunday in July, close to July 26, the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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Pope Francis visits the San Raffaele Borona assisted living home in Rieti, Italy Oct. 4, 2016. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA
Vatican City, Jan 31, 2021 / 06:30 am (CNA).- Pope Francis announced Sunday the establishment of an international day to honor grandparents and the elderly to take place each year in July.
“The Holy Spirit … arouses thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly today: their voice is precious because it sings the praises of God and guards the roots of peoples. They remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, to transmit to young people an experience of life and faith,” Pope Francis said in the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace Jan. 31.
Pope Francis Establishes ‘World Grandparents’ and Elders’ Day’
31 Jan 2021
ROME Pope Francis announced Sunday the establishment of a new annual Catholic feast day to underscore the importance of grandparents and the elderly in society.
“I have decided to establish World Grandparents’ and Elders’ Day, which will be held in all the Church every year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ ‘grandparents,’” the pope said following his weekly prayer of the Angelus, delivered from the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
The pontiff also noted that on February 2, Christians celebrate “the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, when Simeon and Anna, both elderly, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, recognised Jesus as the Messiah.”