“If the elderly, who have seen it all by that time, keep intact their passion for justice, then there is hope for love, and also for faith.”
Pope Francis, no stranger to advanced years himself, recently made these remarks about the elderly as part of numerous commentaries he’s given over the years about the gifts of seniors.
At the parish, we are going to help interested parishioners develop their eldering skills so that these years can be a time of “sage-ing” rather than simply aging, as others have said.
We launch our Contemplative Eldering Project on Tuesday, July 26 — the feast of Ss. Joachim and Anne — patrons to seniors and grandparents. We’ll have a bilingual Mass at 7pm, followed by a general presentation of the scope of the project. We intend to offer book studies, needs assessments for specific elder needs, and a parish silent retreat for elders in the fall.
As the pope says, “Take courage, all of us older people! Take courage and go forward! We have a very great mission in the world.”