Catholic Grandparents Association Grandparents News Connecting Grandparents Worldwide in passing on the faith

Helping Grandparents to pass on the faith & to keep prayer at the heart of family life A Message from the Founder

Dear Grandparents & Friends

We bring you love and greetings for Grandparents all over the world. We have just returned from the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. We were overwhelmed by the response that we received from so many people particularly Grandparents, who were so filled with joy and excitement to know that an organisation such as the Catholic Grandparents Association even existed! They came from all over the country, all over the world- young and old, so many families with children in pushchairs; it was a marvellous exhilarating experience just to be with them. Everyone was in an amazing state of mind- full of the Holy Spirit, with peace and harmony abounding. We felt so proud to be Catholic. We were also privileged to be invited by the Holy See to present three talks on our Mission at this year’s World Meeting of Families. We were honoured to present a workshop session and keynote speech; this was introduced by Monsignor Carlos Simon, the Undersecretary for the Pontifical Council for the Family, which focussed on Loving Through the Generations – Grandparents and Great Grandparents – for which we received a standing ovation!

We would once again like to thank each and everyone of you and all who share in our wonderful mission to value and support Grandparents in their great vocation – to pass on their faith, and keep prayer at the heart of the family. Remember the words of Our Holy Father at the World Meeting of Families “ Look after the children, look after the Grandparents – they are a priceless treasure.” “ Remember to pray for me” , He said, and you can be sure we will!

May St Joachim and St Anne bless you, your children and your Grandchildren. There is a candle lighting for your intentions at the Shrines Catherine Wiley of our Lady of Walsingham, and Knock in Ireland Grandmother and founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association

2 Knock 2015 Pictured below is the fifth generation Lynch Family who carried the gifts up the offertory.

All Roads lead to Knock - It was a glorious day full of prayer, sunshine, graces and blessings for everyone. Over 12000 Grandparents and Families attended the 9th National Grandparents pilgrimage in Knock on September 13th. The newly refurbished Basillica was a truly beautiful and inspiring venue for this occasion. This is the biggest pilgrimage in Ireland. Magnificent procession which included representatives from branches of the Catholic Grandparents Association from all our Ireland, England, Scotland and other parts of the world.

Chief Celebrant was Bishop Brendan Leahy and he gave a wonderful homily acknowledging and affirming Grandparents in their great vocation. Reflection was given by Catherine Wiley, Founder of the CGA. Her advice is if you wish to Pass on the Faith, you need to “teach your Grandchildren to pray”. The Catholic Grandparents Association is a private institute of the faithful and is reported to be the fastest growing movement in the Church. The wonderful music greatly enhanced the occasion with Fr Liam Lawton and his Choir. The grand finale was ‘Our Lady of Knock’ sung by Dana.

It was a great day to remember full of graces and blessings and Grandparents left feeling empowered and encouraged. Pictured Right:

Connie Bowe CGA Employee in Ireland with her daughter pinning up prayers from the Grandchildren for their Grandparents - 8 more of these boards displayed the prayers on both sides and were placed at the entrance to the Basillica.

We received a record number of prayers this year - box after box were received at the office, and as many as possible were displayed. The remainder are kept at the Museum in Knock Shrine

3 Grandparents Pilgrimage - Scotland, August 2015 16th of August saw the celebration of the 5th annual pilgrimage Mass in Scotland. The mass was beautifully celebrated by Bishop Joseph Toal Motherwell diocese and concelebrated Bishop Steven Robson of Dunkeld diocese. There were four seminarians in attendance and .Deacon Henry McKenna of St.Patrick’s Parish Shotts ( Himself a grandfather) Fr. Francis McGachey (PP and Guardian of the Grotto co-ordinated the proceedings ensuring a smooth and virtually flawless day. Blessing and anointing of the sick came after the liturgical readings and proclamation of the Word.

Music was provided by Carfin’s resident organist and choir with soloist Fiona Pitcathley singing Panis Angelicus post communion. Attendance at the mass was around 400 which has been about average over the past five years. However there were many new faces and pilgrim grandparents had come from Crieff in Perth, Dundee Glasgow Glenrothes in Fife and Paisley as well as representatives from established groups in the Mother well diocese ie: Uddingston ,Coatbridge and Muirhead. All in all a good cross section of grandparents all but one diocese in Scotland. Many enquiries were made after mass regarding membership and CGA representatives were on hand to answer all queries and encourage people to take up membership. After Mass and refreshments there was a Rosary procession around the Grotto starting at the Shrine of St.Joachim and St. Anne ( this shrine has been in place since the grotto was built in 1922) and finished at the statue of Christ the King. Many elderly pilgrims chose to sit in the grotto but were able to participate as Fr. McGachey led the prayers from the Chapel of St.Therese of Liseux overlooking the grotto while the procession was led by Bishop Robson.

The culmination of the day took place in the Parish church where pilgrims were addressed By Bishop Robson who encouraged grandparents to step up to the challenge and play an active role in the faith formation of their grandchildren. The congregation were then led in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament recitation of the Divine Praises and Final Benediction by Bishop Robson. The whole atmosphere of the day was declared by many to have been ‘’Wonderful’’ , ‘’Poignant’’ and a great success and ‘’ looking forward to next year’s mass’’

Pope Francis pointed to the family, noting that right now there are many strong tensions between generations.

Often when we speak of generations, parents and children come to mind, but grandparents are frequently left out, Francis observed.

“Grandparents are the great forgotten of this time,” he said, and encouraged the youth to speak to their grandparents, who are sources of wisdom due to the memory they have of life, tensions, conflicts and faith.

“Always when you meet your grandparents you find a surprise. They are patient, they know how to listen…don’t forget grandparents, understand?”

4 Estelle Webster, represented the CGA in Edinburgh. We had a beautiful Mass celebrated by Archbishop Leo Cushley and excellent talks throughout the day. Fifteen groups related to family life were represented and there was a healthy buzz of interest and activity around each stall.

The CGA stall shared a smaller hall and possibly had a little less traffic as it was separate from the main hall, however Michael asked the organisers to direct folk to us, which they did. We spoke to a good number of interested grandparents, all of whom were pleased to take information leaflets, prayer cards and start up guides - with a contact phone number for Una who has offered to speak in parishes if requested.

We spoke with Fr. Gerry Hand, parish priest of St. Paul’s and St. Mary’s, Glenrothes, Diocese of Edinburgh and St. Andrew’s - these two parishes already have established CGA groups. Fr. Hand and others may be interested in having a speaker visit their parish and are aware that they can contact Una. We felt the response was good considering only thirty minutes of the whole conference was allotted to visiting the stalls.

We hope and pray that the CGA will continue to spread in this diocese in the days to come.

Grandparents: A Burden or a Resource? Commentary on the Instrumentum Laboris: The spouses Veronica and José Luis Villaseñor on Chapter III of Part I

The spouses Veronica and José Luis Villaseñor, commenting Chapter III Part I entitled “The Family and Inclusion”, tell us about how grandparents play an important role within the family in their country, Mexico, as well as in many other Latin American countries.

Especially in low-income families, grandparents, in addition to transmitting values, customs and traditions to their grandchildren, “in many cases, act as surrogate parents, by taking upon themselves their daily chores, because the mother and father work all day, often far away from their place of residence or as migrants.” Thus, old age, in spite of the difficulties and hardships of the inevitable physical limitations that characterize it, can become a special time to love and to feel loved, a unique opportunity to take care of someone. Grandparents fill a role that would otherwise remain empty: they play a central part in the growth and education of their grandchildren and in supporting their parents, especially in the poorer classes of the population, and they give advice that can transmit love and unity to entire family.

5 Mission and Purpose of the CGA. CGA Grandparents’ Pledge Many of you will have heard of the term ‘elevator pitch’. In Dear God many organisations, this means being able to explain what I promise, with the help of your grace, your organisation is all about in around 30 seconds, the time to do my best to fulfil my vocation that you may spend in an ‘elevator’ between floors. So what do you say when someone asks you, ‘What is the to pass on my faith to the next generation. CGA all about?’ “Catholic Grandparents Association, is a Private Association of the Faithfull, which means that it works within the church and always within the teachings of the Church. Our Mission is to encourage and assist grandparents to pass on the faith and keep prayer at the heart of family life. We do this through two primary objectives leading to one ultimate Handing on the Faith Today goal. Firstly, we foster the vocation of Grandparents as evangelising agents within the Family which leads to our 7-11th September 2015 second primary objective to ‘keep prayer at the heart of the family and to pass on the faith’. Catherine Wiley founder of the CGA was Our ultimate goal is none other than to build, strengthen and the opening speaker at the ‘Handing on promote the family as Domestic Church.” the Faith Today’ Course for Parishioners Have a wonderful day!! in September 2015 for The Pontifical Irish We have produced a small leaflet which expands on this, College in Rome. please contact your nearest local or head office for more details. Eden’s Prayer

Never underestimate the influence that a grandparents have on their grandchildren. The words that grandparents say are like seeds, planted deep into the soil that often aren’t seen until they spring forth in growth.

One such occasion happened in our family recently.

Our family tradition when our granddaughters are with us is to ask one of them to say grace before our meal. Normally we invite one of the elder ones. One day a couple of weeks ago, Eden, the youngest who is just over 3 and a half, said quickly, ‘I will say grace today’.

She bowed her head joined her hands, closed her eyes and said.

God always love us, He never leaves us. He stays with us forever. He is always in our hearts Amen.

In this young heart, the Love of God has taken root and if we, as a family, have done nothing else, we now know that Eden loves God and she knows His Love for her. Her prayer, is one that we can all identify with and should never forget.

6 The Pope’s 7 most tender messages to grandparents

During this year’s feast of Jesus’s grandparents, Saints 4. MARGINALIZATION Joachim and Anne, the Pope asked for a round of POPE FRANCIS applause for grandparents. March 4, 2015 “It’s horrible to see the elderly tossed aside. It’s ugly and it’s 1. GRATITUDE a sin.” POPE FRANCIS July 26, 2015 The elderly are of particular importance in the Pope’s eyes “I want to greet all the grandmothers and grandfathers as the collective memory of communities, and, above all, to thank them for their special place in families and for of families. their importance to the new generations.” 5. TRANSMITTERS OF THE FAITH From the beginning, Pope Francis has been very POPE FRANCIS mindful of the elderly. During the Mass at the start of his November 11, 2013 pontificate he asked for people to care for the elderly in “We pray for our grandfathers, our grandmothers, who so particular since they are often pushed to the “margins of often play a heroic role in the transmission of the faith in the heart.” times of persecution. When mom and dad weren’t home or when they had strange ideas, which the politics of the A few months afterward, at World Youth Day in Brazil, time taught them, it was the grandmothers who passed on he spoke to young people about the importance of the faith.” listening to their elders. In fact, the Pope thinks that the elderly are so important 2. CULTURAL EUTHANASIA that he was the first to organize an event in the Vatican POPE FRANCIS dedicated to them. It was a very special day, and with a July 25, 2013 very rare appearance by Benedict XVI, whom Pope Francis “This global civilization has gone too far, too far ... tenderly called a ‘wise grandfather.’ because such is the cult that has been built around the god of money that we are witnessing the development 6. WISDOM of a philosophy and a practice of excluding the two POPE FRANCIS extremes of life that are the hopes of every community. September 28, 2014 The elderly aren’t shown care because no one cares for “I have said many times that I enjoy living here, in the them. But there is also a cultural euthanasia. No one lets Vatican, because it’s like having a wise grandfather at them speak or act.” home. Thank you.”

Pope Francis knows that grandparents play an essential The Pope lamented the forgetting of and the violence role in the lives of children. And he knows this by towards the elderly and he explained that the experience of experience thanks to the love of his grandmother Rosa. grandparents is irreplaceable. This is how he explained it in a catechesis dedicated to grandparents. 7. TENDERNESS POPE FRANCIS 3. EXAMPLE September 28, 2014 POPE FRANCIS “One of the most beautiful things in life, in the family, March 11, 2015 in our lives, is caressing a child and letting yourself be “The words of grandparents contain something special caressed by a grandfather or a grandmother.” for young people. And they know it. The words that my grandmother gave me in writing the day of my priestly The Pope backs up his words with deeds. In general ordination I still carry with me, always, in the breviary. audiences, meetings, and trips, Pope Francis never misses And I read them often and they do me good.” an opportunity to greet the elderly or to listen to them.

This is why he never tires of denouncing the abuses committed against the elderly, who are marginalized in society. He even says that this is a sin.

7 Catherine Wiley Founder of The Catholic Grandparents Association being interviewed by EWTN at WMOF

Catholic Grandparents overjoyed at Dublin venue for World Meeting of Families 2018

‘Grandparents will be out in force for Pope Francis’

The Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA) has welcomed news that Dublin is to be the venue for the 2018 World Meeting of Families and expressed the hope that Pope Francis will travel to Ireland for the event.

Speaking this week on her return from Philadelphia, USA, where she represented the CGA at the World Meeting of Families, Catherine Wiley, the association’s founder said:

“It is very exciting and encouraging that the next meeting of the World Meeting of Families will be in Ireland. The Grandparents will be out in force to welcome Our Holy Father, and I feel sure he will not miss this opportunity to meet us.”

Having met Pope Francis during his recent US visit, Mrs Wiley added that “the Pontiff clearly recognises the importance of grandparents and constantly affirms them”.

During the Philadelphia event, Mrs Wiley addressed the gathering on ‘Loving through the generations: Grandparents and Great Grandparents’ and received a standing ovation.

CGA founder Catherine Wiley with Archbishop Catherine Wiley (2nd left) with workers and representatives of the Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, pictured during the World Meeting of CGA on the association’s stand in Philadelphia. Families in Philadelphia, USA. 8 Villagers’ granddaughter gets blessing from Pope Francis - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - Theresa Campbell [email protected] Little 3-month-old Frances Marian Williams, the granddaughter of The Villages residents Gerry and Mary Jane Haggerty, got an unexpected front row view of Pope Francis in Philadelphia on Sunday. And the once-in-a-lifetime moment was captured by a spectator in the massive crowd. “The photo brought tears to my eyes,” Gerry said of seeing his granddaughter being held up by her mother to see Pope Francis. The baby is the youngest of the Haggerty’s 15 grandchildren, and she was named after the pope. “She certainly had a God moment,” said Mary Jane Haggerty, who was amazed that her daughter and granddaughter were able to see the pope up close. Rebecca Williams, 38, of Moorestown, New Jersey, said she wasn’t planning to go see the pope until the night before when a neighbour offered tickets and transportation for Williams and her sister, Kimberly, to take Frances to see the pope. “I felt like if it was coming to me, I have to go,” Williams said. She wasn’t expecting to experience so much kindness as they weaved through the crowd along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. “It was really awesome and an amazingly peaceful experience, even with a million people around,” she said. “Everybody was really in just a very good and kind mood.” And Frances garnered a lot of attention. “The crowd really just embraced the babies,” Williams said, recalling how many in crowd told her to move up closer. One couple from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who had been sitting at the front of the parade route for several hours, invited the mother and daughter to sit by them. “They were so gracious,” Williams said. She said the popemobile was traveling slowly as he waved to the crowd before he noticed Frances, dressed in pink. “We made direct eye contact,” Williams said. “He looked at me and nodded and made the sign of the cross to bless the baby. I was shaking, my legs were shaking and my sister was behind me and I said, ‘Did that really just happen?’” As soon as the pope passed by, Williams was shown the photo that was taken of her holding Frances up to see the pope. She said people in the crowd began getting each other’s cellphone numbers so they could text photos to each other. “I was amazed,” Rebecca said. “To see as many people as were there, how calm it was, how immensely well organized it was and everybody was just as nice and considerate.” The photo of Frances seeing the pope has been emailed to many friends and family members. “It’s our favorite photo right now,” Gerry Haggerty said. “It’s the photo of the year for the Haggerty family.” Pope Francis is a beloved pope for the family, too. “My dad and I both went to Jesuit colleges and the pope being a Jesuit priest, I have such an affinity to him for when he was made pope,” Williams said. Frances isn’t the only grandchild named after the pope in the family — the Haggertys also have a grandson named Francis. 9 10 The Golden Knot Pope Francis last catechesis on the family, which “makes the world a home”

Today at the General Audience, on the eve of two major events—the World Meeting in Philadelphia and the Synod of Bishops—Pope Francis concluded his series of Catecheses on the theme of marriage and the family.

“A new covenant between man and woman is becoming not only necessary but also strategic for the emancipation of the peoples from the colonization of money. This covenant must once again determine the orientation of politics, of the economy and of civil coexistence” he said; moreover, “this conjugal, familial community of man and woman is the generative grammar, the ‘golden knot,’ we could say.” Hence, the family is “the foundation of this world culture, which saves us from so many attacks, so much destruction, from so many kinds of colonization, such as that of money or of the ideologies that are such a great threat for the world. The family is the base for self-defense.” After referring to the Biblical parable of creation, Francis focused on the role of women, “God’s caress on our wounds, our mistakes, our sins. But God loves us as we are and wants to carry us forward with this project, and woman is the strongest one in making this project advance.”

“The promise that God gives to man and woman, at history’s beginning, includes all human beings, to the very end of history. If we have enough faith, the families of the world’s peoples—said Francis—will recognize themselves in this blessing.” Finally, he invited all to walk “together under this blessing, and to become brothers and sisters in life under God’s aim, in a world that progresses and that is born precisely from the family, from the union of man and woman.”

Spread The Word! Do you realise the POWER of being a Grandparent? Are you aware of how you INFLUENCE younger people? Simple things like blessing yourself in public, saying the Angelus, Grace before Meals and using the Holy Water Font are minor Faith gestures that could have major results.

11 Pope to Parents: Teach Your Little Ones to Pray, Make Sign of Cross

During General Audience, Francis Speaks on Importance of Making Time for Prayer By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Vatican City, August 26, 2015

If we really love God and cherish our relationship with Him, we need to spend time with Him in prayer. During his weekly General Audience in a sunny St. Peter’s Square this morning, the Pope made this point, calling on parents to teach their little ones how to pray and how important it is. Continuing his catecheses on the family, the Pontiff reflected on the importance of devoting time to prayer. In previous audiences in this series, he has considered the importance of celebrations and rest, and the dignity of work.

Turning today to prayer, the Pope suggested that while many have the best of intentions, they still have difficulties finding time in their busy schedules to pray. Even if it’s challenging, he stressed, we must do this, otherwise it seems as though we do not love God. “Perhaps we need to ask if we truly love God, as He asks us to, ‘with all our heart, and all our mind and all our strength,’” Francis highlighted.

Speaking off the cuff, Pope Francis stressed how sometimes he goes in the cities and makes a sad observation. “There are children who have not learned how to make the Sign of the Cross! But you mommies, daddies, teach the little ones to pray, to make the Sign of the Cross: this is a beautiful task of moms and dads!” We need to spend time with the Lord, Francis stressed, saying parents need to set good examples and reminding faithful how they can turn to Christ. In our daily lives, the Pontiff said, we must make a concerted effort to do this.

“Do not forget, every day read a passage from the Gospel. Prayer springs from intimacy with the Word of God. Do we have this intimacy in our family? Do we have the Gospel in our home? Do we take some time to open it and read it together? Do we meditate on it and pray the rosary? Reading and pondering the Gospel in the family is like a good bread that nourishes the heart of everyone.” “In the morning and evening, when we get to the table, we learn to say a prayer together, very simply, it is Jesus Who is among us,” Francis added, saying Jesus is present in families as He was with Martha and Mary.

At the heart of prayer, Francis said, is the love of God, “the source of our life, who constantly ‘caresses’ us with his own love. A heart filled with the love of God can make even a silent thought or a small gesture of devotion a moment of prayer.” The Holy Spirit, the Pope highlighted, teaches us to pray, to call God our Father, and to grow daily in His love. “Our families need to ask for the gift of the Spirit! Through prayer, even in the busiest times, we give time back to God, we find the peace that comes from appreciating the important things, and we encounter the joy of God’s unexpected gifts,” Pope Francis reminded the faithful.

12 Pope Francis to Celebrate

“Bambinelli Sunday” (Cincinnati, OH) All eyes will look to Rome, Sunday, December 13 as Pope Francis holds an event that celebrates children, Christmas and “bambinellis.” Pope Francis and the children of Rome will gather in St. Peter’s Square to bless their adorable bambinellis from their family’s Christmas crèches.

Bambinelli Sunday is when children bring their statues of the infant Jesus from their nativity sets at home to be blessed by the Pope. “ Dear children, when you pray in front of your manger scene, also remember me as I remember you,” asked Pope Francis.

There is an old Italian tradition that on this Sunday, families are invited to bring to Church the Baby Jesus from their homes to be blessed. What a wonderful idea, if you could develop this in your own parish

Deacon Ron Wylie is the first CGA Member to be ordained Saturday 3rd October.

Ordination Of Deacon Ronald Wylie 3rd Order Carmelite and CGA Member and Representative for Dunkeld Diocese The ordination mass was celebrated by Bishop Steven Robson and supported by a plethora of priests, deacons and altar servers. Mass was absolutely Glorious with liturgical music and congregational hymns provided by the diocesan choir(of which Ron and Helen are members) ast times the singing was almost Angelic. The invites guest ranged from many members of the deaconate of the diocese and some from further afield a great number of 3rd order Carmelites, Sisters of The Immaculate Heart of Mary (Nigeria) and sisters of Charity. The ordination rite was very moving and I’m sure there were more tears shed than I could see mainly at the laying on of hands. Mass continued with Ron doing the preparation for the consecration and finally giving the command to go and serve The Lord. We retired to the Bonar Hall for the after celebration where we were treated to an amazing buffet (mouth wateringly delicious) The icing on the cake however was provided by the sisters of The Immaculate Heart who treated us to some drumming and other percussion instruments as they sang songs which they had specifically composed for Ron Altogether an amazing day. Thank you Ron and you ever present other half. She really deserves a huge vote of thanks. So Thank you Helen.

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