RESOURCES FOR WORLD DAY OF GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY - 27TH JUILY 2025

Compiled by Bishop Denis Nulty, Chair of Council of Marriage and the Family, Irish Bishops

In recent years the Sunday closest to the Feast of Ss. Joachim and Anne has been designated as ‘World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly’. This year that Sunday falls on 27 July 2025. The National Pilgrimage of the Catholic Grandparents Association takes place that day in Knock with chief celebrant Archbishop Francis Duffy.

This is the 5th World Day and the theme is ‘Blessed are those who have not lost hope’ (Sir 14:2). Grandparents and the Elderly are central components of the life of every parish. Pope Leo XIV reminds us “embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment”. He calls on every parish/diocese/movement to become a “protagonist in a ‘revolution’ of gratitude and care”.

Prayer of the Faithful – Fifth World Day for the Grandparents & the Elderly

27 July 2025

For Pope Leo XIV, that the Lord may bless and protect his ministry, and for the Church, led by him, that it may be more and more a welcoming home for grandparents and the elderly. Lord hear us.

For all of us elderly, that we may continue to look toward the future and that with our experience and prayer we may continue to strive to build a more fraternal world. Lord hear us.

For the youth to offer the bread of their vitality to the Lord, not keeping it for themselves but giving it to God so that He may multiply it and the world may rejoice in the overflowing joy of a new embrace between the youth and the elderly. Lord hear us.

For all of us grandfathers and grandmothers, that we may be a source of wisdom for our families and that we may learn to pass on the treasure of faith to our grandchildren and to the next generation. Lord hear us.

For the end of all war in every part of the world. We implore the Lord to grant consolation to those who have lost loved ones, healing to the wounded, a return home to prisoners, and that ways of dialogue and peace be found everywhere. Lord hear us.

Prayer for the Fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

27 July 2025

'Blessed are those who have not lost hope' (Sir 14:2)

How beautiful are these words of yours, Lord!

Help us to continue our pilgrimage through time,

animated by the hope that comes from You!

Help us in this divisive world,

to bring the hope of communion.

Help us in this world, wounded by wars,

to bring the hope of peace.

Help us in this world, which is dehumanizing,

to bring the beauty of an ancient smile.

Help us to be, for our grandchildren, for our loved ones

and for everyone we meet,

the memory of your tenderness.

Help us to bring, in a world distracted from You,

the Hope of a new life that only You can give!

For in You, Lord, nothing is lost

For in You, Lord, everything begins again! Amen

Grandparents Never Give Up - a Jubilee of Hope

This year has been designated a Jubilee Year of Hope — and it is also a Jubilee Year (25 Anniversary) for the Catholic Grandparents Association. As the National Grandparents Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine on 27th July approaches, coinciding with the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Church stands at a vital moment in its history. In an increasingly secularised world where individualism threatens the very fabric of family life, Grandparents have never been more essential. This special day exists because of faithful Irish Grandparents. In 2017, gathered at Knock, they began a year of prayer asking Pope Francis to establish a World Day for Grandparents. Not only did he grant their request, but he also included the Elderly. This spiritual legacy, born from Irish Grandparents’ prayers and devotion, has now spread worldwide and is honoured in dioceses and parishes everywhere. Today’s Grandparents face challenges unimaginable to previous generations: complex family structures, strained relationships, threats to life at its beginning and end, and a culture that dismisses faith as something of the past. Grandparents know better: faith is a treasure for today and tomorrow, and it is their sacred duty to pass it on. In this spiritual battle, Grandparents remain God’s secret weapon — the quiet, persistent force keeping families anchored in truth, the glue that holds them together when all else falls apart. While others may stand by, Grandparents never do. They love deeply, pray fervently, and hold fast to what others have forgotten: that faith, wisdom, and life’s experience are gifts that cannot be replaced by social media or artificial intelligence. At Knock, they gather to honour Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and Grandparents of Jesus. Here they find strength, courage, and confidence in one another’s witness and prayers. It is a place where miracles have happened in families and in the Church, emanating from Grandparents’ faith. This pilgrimage is their annual rallying cry — a chance to stand together against the tide of secularism, to renew their promise to pass on the faith, and to shine their light out to the world. This is their day, when they gather together in love, faith, and hope — a living legacy that now reaches parishes and dioceses worldwide. Grandparents never give up hope, and they never will. Families are encouraged to mark this day not only in the Church but also at home, uniting in prayer and gratitude for all that Grandparents do. “Grandparents never give up hope.”

May Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, Grandparents of Jesus, bless Grandparents everywhere.