Grandparents Association The 8th National Catholic Grandparents Association Pilgrimage in Ireland will take place on Sunday September 14th at Our Ladys Shrine at Knock in Co Mayo. It is a wonderful occasion when Grandparents and their families from all corners of Ireland and beyond gather in solidarity to honour and thank all Grandparents both living and dead for all they have done and continue to do, to pass on the Faith and keep prayer at the heart of Family Life. This year we are deeply honoured to have as our chief celebrant and keynote speaker Archbishop Charles Brown, Papal Nuncio and representative of Pope Francis. The Association is delighted that Fr Liam Lawton who wrote a song for The CGA will once again be the guest soloist on the day. Each year special mention is given to the Grandparents in Ireland with the most grandchildren. So far 67 is the magic number, If you have more than that please let us know. Mr Michael Lambert who has reached the wonderful age of 107 will have a special place in the ceremonies with his family again this year. Since its launch in 2009 the Catholic Grandparents Association has gone from strength to strength with branches now established in America, Malta, Australia, South Africa, Gibraltar, The Solomon Islands, The Philippines, Scotland, England and Dubai as well as Ireland. The Association has been recognised and approved by both the Pontifical Council for the Family and by the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation in The Vatican .Pope Francis himself,on many occasions , has applauded the role which Grandparents play in the life of The Church The world is a softer and kinder place because of the presence of Grandparents. he told us at the Pilgrimage for Families in Rome last year . He even attributes his perseverance in his own vocation to the priesthood to the encouragement and influence of his Grandmother Rosa. The vocation of Grandparents to Pass on The Faith is now recognised everywhere and Grandparents find that membership of the Association is a great support to them in that role because the Association offers practical as well as spiritual ways of passing on the Faith.. In all countries where the CGA is established the Association works very closely with the Marriage and Family Council of the Bishops Conference .In June of this year the CGA were deeply honoured when Maire Printer, first president of the CGA, was invited to take a seat on the Council for Marriage and the Family of the Irish Episcopal Conference of Ireland. Last year on 26th July The CGA was launched in The Philippines by Bishop Gilbert.Garcera ,on December 1st ,Cardinal Pell, Our patron in Australia ,launched the Association there and the official launch in the U.K. took place in Westminster on May 9th with Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Catherine Wiley, founder of the CGA was warmly welcomed by Pope Francis on two occasions in Rome......The Gathering of All The Lay Movements in The Church in May and the world Pilgrimage of Families in October which was attended by members of the Association from many parts of the world. Copies of Pope Benedicts prayer can be downloaded from the CGA website or requested from the address below Every year in the weeks running up to the Annual Pilgrimage in Knock the CGA invites children of all ages to ask their parents to help them to write a prayer for their Grandparents and send it to the address below. These prayers are then taken to Knock and displayed around the altar on the day of the pilgrimage so that Grandparents can read them and realise what a very special part they play in the lives of their Grandchildren, If possible the prayers should be written on A4card and decorated as the child wishes. For further information consult the Catholic Grandparents Association website catholicgrandparentsassociation.org Email. catholicgrandparents@gmail or call. 098 24877 Address. Catholic Grandparents Association Castlebar St Westport Co Mayo
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 14:47:18 +0000
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