CNA Newsroom, 28 July, 2024 / 1:29 pm (ACI Africa).
Every year on the fourth Sunday of July, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly, an event initiated by Pope Francis in 2021. The date of the celebration was chosen so that it would fall near the feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus, on July 26.
This year, the World Day of Grandparents will be celebrated on July 28 with the theme: “Do Not Cast Me Off in My Old Age” — taken from Psalm 71.
When it comes to saintly grandparents, many think of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the faithful couple whose perseverance yielded the gift of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who would give birth to Jesus Christ. However, there are numerous other saints who were grandparents and are great models of virtue as well as powerful intercessors.
St. Monica
St. Monica is known for being the mother of the great theologian St. Augustine of Hippo and for her fervent prayer life. However, she was also a grandmother. During Augustine’s wayward years, he had a concubine who gave birth to a son named Adeodatus. Adeodatus remained in Augustine’s custody and the two of them lived with Monica. The father and son were also baptized together. Despite passing away very young, at the age of 16, Adeodatus was present at his grandmother’s passing.