The greeting card companies have been trying to market the Sunday after Labor Day as “Grandparents’ Day” for a generation now, but our Church’s celebration of “Grandparents’ Day” is next Sunday. In 2021, Pope Francis declared that World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly would be observed annually on the fourth Sunday of July, since it falls closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on July 26. We have no real historically verifiable information about Joachim or Anne, except to know that they existed. The information we do have comes from pious legend and from the apocryphal Gospel of James, which dates from the second century. Mary’s parents (even the names Joachim and Anne are known only through the Gospel of James) are typically presented as an old and barren couple, who long to bring a child into the world. An angel (God’s messenger) delivers the news that, not only are they to have a child, but one who will be revered for all time. But the holiness and heroism of this couple can be inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. The bottom line is whether we rely on the pious legends or extrapolate from information we can glean from the pages of the Bible, we see in Mary the fulfillment of many generations of faithful and prayerful people. Joachim and Anne—whether these are their real names or not—represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith, and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure [americancatholic.org].
This observance reminds grandparents of their responsibility to set the tone for the generations who follow: to pass on the traditions of faith handed down through the ages, to bring the customs of our families and our Church to life for their grandchildren, and to be the voice of wisdom in their families that can come only with a lifetime of experience. This “feast of grandparents” is important for the younger generations as well. We need to be mindful that our grandparents have lived more and seen more than us; there is much we can learn from them. Many of our grandparents made sacrifices that we who have come after are not even aware of sometimes, or can comprehend. Two of my own grandparents died when I was a little boy; I was very fortunate to have the other two with me into adulthood. My own experience taught me to treasure those relationships; grandparents have a lot of love to give and wisdom to share. We “youngins” would do well to listen and learn. To all grandparents, Happy Grandparents’ Day!
As we move into the second half of the summer, there are few dates to make sure you have on your calendar…
· On Sunday, August 25, St. John will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the current church. Mass will be celebrated at 2PM with a reception to follow in the social hall. All clergy who have previously served at the parish have been invited to concelebrate Mass and join in the festivities.
· All golfers are invited to take part in this year’s Holy Family/St. John Golf Outing on Friday, September 6 at the Latrobe Elks Golf Club.
· Planning is underway for Holy Family’s Parish Picnic on Sunday, September 15 at Legion-Keener Park.
Be sure to keep watching the bulletin for details on all of these events.
Quite often it is the little things in life that get overlooked, like always remembering to say “Thank you”. So, allow me to say thank you to all of our bulletin sponsors, who make it possible for us to present parish information to you in this colorful, professionally-produced publication each and every week. Please be sure to check out the ads on the back page of the bulletin and whenever possible, patronize our sponsors’ businesses. And when you do, please be sure to let them know that you appreciate their support of our parish. If you are a business owner that is not currently advertising on our bulletin, please consider doing so. Contact information for our publisher, LPi, is available on the back page each week as well.
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