The Nigerian Catholic Bishop urges grandparents not to “sit back and watch” what is happening in the West African nation, but to “continue to impart and imbue us with your good counsel, experience, faith stories and generosity.”
“Please continue to pray and work for peace, family values, and love among all,” the Catholic Bishop of Oyo Diocese, who doubles as the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), an entity of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) says.
He adds, “Please Pray and Persuade your descendants and others never to forget the land of their birth like old Jacob and Joseph did in the Old Testament.”
Bishop Badejo encourages grandparents to teach their descendants “not to forget the Church that raised them in the faith.”
“I greet you all and pray for you. Joy, fulfillment, and good health of mind and body shall be yours till the end,” he implores.
The member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication since his appointment in December 2021 further implores, “May God bless you with more fruitful years and may your children and descendants be gracious to you. Amen.”
Pope Francis established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to take place annually on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of the grandparents of Jesus, Saints Anne and Joachim.
This year, the theme of the event is, “Do not cast me off in my old age”, taken from Psalms 71:9.
In his message ahead of the event, the Holy Father urged families around the world to remain close to grandparents and elderly family members, imploring loved ones to spend time with older relatives who may be facing “solitude and abandonment.”
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
