With World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly approaching on July 26, few groups can claim as much credit for its existence as the international, volunteer-run Catholic Grandparents Association.

Founded 25 years ago by Catherine Wiley, the CGA has spent years persistently petitioning the Vatican for a simple cause, and has since turned a simple inspiration from one Catholic grandparent into a universal Church observance that continues to honour elders as vital missionaries of faith.

“When the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was established, that was a real watershed moment for us. For the very first time, the universal Church publicly recognized that grandparents are not simply older people to be cared for (in the background), but rather missionaries and evangelizers,” Wiley told The Catholic Register.  

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“Since then, parishes have now actively celebrated grandparents, recognizing their contribution instead of just taking them for granted.  Grandparents themselves also started to realize that they are entrusted with passing on the greatest gift that they possess, their treasure of faith, as well.” 

This year’s celebration will mark the sixth official World Day, coinciding with the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. Under the theme “I will never forget you” from Isaiah 49:15, the commemoration offers the faithful a powerful reminder of consolation and hope that God’s love never abandons either grandparents or the elderly, even amid frailty or isolation. 

For the CGA, this annual observance represents the fulfillment of decades of advocacy that began in 2001 when Wiley, a new grandmother at that point, felt called to create a grandparents’ pilgrimage while praying before a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England. What started as local pilgrimages in England and Ireland evolved into persistent petitions to the Vatican, including a formal appeal launched at the 2017 National Grandparents Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine in Ireland. Just five years ago, Pope Francis answered those prayers by establishing the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021. 

Today, with members and ministries in over 70 countries like Canada, the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Africa, Korea, Mexico, and Spain, the apostolate continues to provide extensive resources to help both parishes and families directly celebrate meaningfully and turn recognition into “renewed missionary zeal” across generations. 

Marilyn Henry, the association’s international ministry coordinator, said grandparents’ role in faith transmission, established tradition, moral formation and family support can still remain overlooked in modern society. When it is, the roots of our faith lives and the passing on of beliefs, wisdom and lived witness risk being lost. 

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“In my generation, it was rote that you were born Catholic and raised Catholic, but it's not that way any more — we need to honour the ways we teach our faith and pass on that beauty,” said Henry, a  grandmother to 11 and great-grandmother to three. 

As with years past, the CGA has set out to be a “one-stop-shop” for resources for the day. Materials honed over years and shared across the globe feature an extensive 34-page resource guide with practical ideas for parish-level celebrations, complete with a novena, cards, templates and more. 

The association also continues to facilitate the National Grandparents Pilgrimage at Knock Shrine each July and global Faith Café Zoom talks on the second Tuesday of each month as efforts to establish further volunteer-led grandparents’ ministries.

While parishes can take advantage of the countless ways to mark the day locally, Wiley emphasizes that the most important thing remains what Pope Francis envisioned from the beginning. 

“( Francis) wanted the day to encourage grandparents and grandchildren to be together, spending time to pray together, share stories of faith and build bridges between the generations, however they could. That is giving hope to older people, many of whom feel invisible in today's society. The Holy Father's message tells them, ‘Your wisdom, experience, faith, love, time and very presence are all that's needed.’ ” 

Thinking about this year’s theme, the two longtime grandparents hope its message is truly absorbed by Catholic elders around the world. 

“(God’s) love is unconditional, just as the love grandparents so generously pour into their children and grandchildren. I hope they will take away that they are deeply loved by God and indispensable to their families, parishes and society,” Henry said. 

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“If, at the end of this year’s celebration, every grandparent can say, ‘I am loved, needed, God has not forgotten me and I still have a mission,’ then we will have achieved something truly wonderful,” her friend added. 

For prayers, activities, events and further liturgical resources, visit catholicgrandparentsassociation.org or email [email protected].