Grandparents Day | National Office for Vocation England & Wales

World Day for
Grandparents
and the Elderly

"Do not cast me off in my old age" c.f. Psalm 71:9

Sunday 28th July 2024

This year we will celebrate the fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Francis in 2021 declared that this special day celebrating Grandparents and the Elderly is to be held on the fourth Sunday of July. This is close to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

This year the fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly falls on Sunday 28th July. There are many ways we can celebrate this special day in our homes and parishes. We will give you some ideas to get you started on our Grandparents and the Elderly page.

Bishop David Evans Interview for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Cardinal Vincent Nichols on the very first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly encouraged young people, in a short video message, to talk to their grandparents if they want to be a sign of hope for the world.

Bishop David Evans InterviewNOV

00:00 / 10:27

Prayer for the Fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Lord, faithful God,

You who created us in Your image,

You who never leaves us alone

and who accompanies us through every season of life,

Do not abandon us, take care of us,

and grant us, once again, the ability to discover ourselves and recognise that we are Your children.

Renew our hearts with your Word

and do not allow anyone to be cast aside.

May your Spirit of love fill us with Your tenderness

and teach us to say: “I will not abandon you!”

To those we meet on our journey.

With the help of your beloved Son,

may we not lose the taste for fraternity

and may we not conform to the sadness of loneliness.

Help us to look to the future with renewed hope,

and make the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

a day without loneliness, and a day abundant with the

first-fruits of Your peace.

Amen.

Download Pope Francis' Message for the 2024 World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly

Pope Francis' message for the 4th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Ways we can celebrate:

Sunday Mass: Invite your grandchildren and family to attend with you, a wonderful way to start the day's celebration.

Prayer: Take time to pray as a family and individually, giving thanks for our grandparents and elderly that we know of. Find some prayer resources below.

Family Dinner: Make time for a family dinner over the weekend where every member and generation of the family are invited.

Parish Picnic: After the Mass on the Sunday, bring the families and elderly parishioners together for a picnic in the parish garden or in the local park if there is one close by. Maybe the young people can help serve.

Visit the elderly: Visit one of your elderly relatives or someone in the parish who doesn't have family nearby. You could encourage children to make cards for the elderly on your street.

Diocesan Resources

To find out what events and resources are being organised in your own diocese, please check their website or contact a diocesan Marriage and Family Life Coordinator.

Catholic Grandparents Association

To be a grandparent is a very special role in the Church.
As you love your Grandchildren, love them enough to give them the gift of faith, by sharing your faith with them.

For more information on the Catholic Grandparents Association
of England & Wales, please visit their website here:

God never abandons his children, never. Even when our age advances and our powers decline, when our hair grows white and our role in society lessens, when our lives become less productive and can risk appearing useless. God does not regard appearances (cf. 1 Sam 16:7); he does not disdain to choose those who, to many people, may seem irrelevant. God discards no stone; indeed, the “oldest” are the firm foundation on which “new” stones can rest, in order to join in erecting a spiritual edifice (cf. 1 Peter 2:5).

Pope Francis