The vital role the elderly and grandparents can play in the life of the Church has been emphasised at a conference in Rome. The gathering on the pastoral care of the elderly entitled, “The Richness of Many Years of Life” was organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and looked at how to deal with the culture of “discarding” the elderly, as well as their role in the family, and their particular vocation in the Church.

One of the participants, Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association, said that church-going elderly people, including those who attend daily Mass, can experience loneliness and fall victim to depression. “Nobody calls on them, there aren’t enough priests anymore to call on them; they’re worried about their last will and testaments; they’re worried about end of life issues; they’re worried about their families not coming to see them and I’m thinking, ‘how can this happen in a community so close, so loving?’. But it’s happened”, 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’s important to get them “on board”.