Information on Plenary Indulgence Requirements
for July 25th Grandparents Day & Elderly
Pope Francis has established throughout the Church the celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly beginning in 2021 on the fourth Sunday of July, near the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
Cardinal Farrell said, “Today more than ever, we are committed to making every effort to dismantle the throwaway culture and to enhance the charisms of grandparents and the elderly.” This year, July 25th is our new World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. A Plenary Indulgence will be granted under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer.
“This Court of Mercy also grants the Plenary Indulgence on this same day to the faithful who devote adequate time to actually or virtually visiting their elderly brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty (such as the sick, the abandoned, the disabled and other similar cases). The Plenary Indulgence may also be granted to those who are unable to leave their homes for serious reasons and “unite themselves spiritually to the sacred functions of the World Day, offering to the Merciful God their prayers, pains or sufferings of their lives, especially during the transmission, through the means of television and radio, but also through means of social communication.”
The Resources include:
- A welcome for the day from Bishop Nulty;
- The Holy Father’s Message for the day in text and leaflet format;
- Liturgical Notes for Sunday 25 July;
- The official Prayer for the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly;
- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Prayer for Grandparents;
- Quotes about Grandparents and the Elderly from Pope Francis;
- Information on the Plenary Indulgence being granted for the day;
- The ‘Plant A Tree in Their Memory’ initiative;
- Social Media Visuals and the official social media hashtag; and
- Useful links to additional resources from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and from the Catholic Grandparents Association