Parish Honours Senior Citizens on Special Day
The parish marked the 1st World Day of Grandparents and Elders in grand fashion with virtual events lined up throughout the day on Sunday, 25th July 2021. Organised by the Senior Citizens Team under the umbrella of the Family Life Ministry, the team led by Stephen Francis put together an itinerary, which included Mass, prayer sessions and an evening of fellowship.
During Mass, Fr Dom shared on the Gospel of the day, the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, saying that we need to cooperate with the grace of God in order to see the miracle of plenty. In the current circumstances of the pandemic, we may question where is Jesus in all of this. He is right here in our midst, said Fr Dom, and he uses the “five loaves and two fish” that each one of us has to offer to bring healing and provide for the needs of our larger communities.
Apart from Mass, parishioners had the opportunity to virtually gather to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm and Vespers (evening prayer) at 6 pm. The celebrations culminated with an evening of fellowship, the highlight of which was grandchildren dedicating special messages of love to their grandparents. The evening began with praise and worship, led by Gabriel Lee.
This was followed by an address from the organising chairman, Stephen Francis who thanked his team for putting together the events for the day. He also called on grandchildren to stay connected to their grandparents and to love them always. Fr Dom then said a few words and reminisced about his late maternal grandmother, whom he said cooked the best chicken curry he has tasted. He added that both he and Fr Konstend always remember the elders and the homebound in their Masses.
The high point of the evening saw children taking turns to dedicate songs and poems to their grandparents. After the presentations, several grandparents expressed their love and gratitude for the organising of a beautiful event, which brought everyone together during these times.
In his message to grandparents and elders to commemorate the occasion, Pope Francis said, “The whole Church is close to you – to us – and cares about you, loves you and does not want to leave you alone!” He emphasised that grandparents and elders still have an active part to play in renewing and supporting our troubled societies. He said that there are three pillars to support this that elders, better than anyone else, can help to set up: dreams, memory and prayer. On prayer, the Holy Father quoted his predecessor, Pope Benedict, who once said: “the prayer of the elderly can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others.”
The World Day of Grandparents and Elders, announced by Pope Francis earlier this year will be celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday in July. The theme chosen by the Holy Father for this inaugural celebration was “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
To watch the events of the day, visit:
Sunday Mass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUnWUtrq6Lk&t=2485s
Evening Celebrations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66v-ntXuV_4&t=1381s