蜜桃交友

By Lydia O鈥橩ane

A Vatican conference on the pastoral care of the elderly entitled, 鈥溾�� is underway in Rome.

The event, which is being organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is looking at how to deal with the culture of 鈥渄iscarding鈥� the elderly, as well as their role in the family, and their particular vocation in the Church.

Attending the meeting are representatives of Bishops Conferences, religious congregations, associations and lay movement from around the world involved in this pastoral work.

One of the participants is Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association, whose mission it is 鈥渢o help Grandparents pass on the faith and keep prayer in the heart of family life鈥�.

Over the last twenty years the association has grown and Grandparent pilgrimages are now held in the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Malta, Canada, and the USA; and are planned for Australia, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Speaking to Pope, Wiley describes this conference as 鈥渁bsolutely of its time; it is perfect timing for this to bring together likeminded people who can share views and ideas and commit to each other to just not talk the talk but to walk the walk.鈥�

Vital role of elderly in the Church

Catherine, who is a grandparent herself, emphasizes the vital role the elderly and grandparents can play in the life of the Church. There is an opportunity, she says, to look at ages and stages of grandparents and the elderly and how they fit into the community.  鈥淲e need in every community and in every parish a ministry for grandparents and the elderly, not just somebody who鈥檚 slotted into the role because they have nothing else to do; somebody who is part and parcel, who鈥檚 competent, who鈥檚 professional, who can see the needs in the parish a mile off.鈥�

Loneliness and the elderly

Catherine lives for part of the year in both England and Ireland where she attends Mass in the Shrine parishes of Walsingham and Knock. She points out that some of the elderly people attending daily Mass in these villages can experience loneliness and fall victim to depression. 鈥淣obody calls on them, there aren鈥檛 enough priests anymore to call on them; they鈥檙e worried about their last will and testaments; they鈥檙e worried about end of life issues; they鈥檙e worried about their families not coming to see them and I鈥檓 thinking, 鈥榟ow can this happen in a community so close, so loving?鈥�. But it鈥檚 happened鈥�, she says.

She stresses that there are so many older lay people who have the wisdom, experience and the skills to be a vital asset in the community and it鈥檚 important to get them 鈥渙n board鈥�.

Wisdom and storytelling

One of the most important and often underestimated qualities the elderly possess is the ability to tell a story. 鈥淲e Catholics鈥�, says Catherine, 鈥渉ave the greatest story ever told鈥� and this is something that the older generation can pass on to their grandchildren. The only way to do it is to introduce your young people to the story of Jesus鈥�.

鈥淧assing on the faith gets harder and harder in the way that we were brought up in the faith鈥�, she notes, 鈥渂ut the opportunities and challenges are magnificent because we live longer, we have more time to spend, more care to give, more wisdom to learn鈥︹��