The faithful who participate in the celebrations of the World Day of Grandparents will be able to receive plenary indulgences.
Newsdesk (July 24, 2021, 9:00 AM, Gaudium Press) On Sunday, July 25, the Catholic Church will celebrate for the first time the World Day of Grandparents, a date instituted by Pope Francis in January this year. “Grandparents are a link between generations, they transmit to young people the experience of life and of Faith,” stressed the Holy Father.
Following the theme “I am with you every day” (Mt 28:20), the World Day of Grandparents will be celebrated within the context of the Year of the Family ‘Amoris Laetitia’, lived by the Catholic Church from March 2021 to June 26, 2022.
The World Day of Grandparents will be celebrated annually on the last Sunday of July. This date was chosen because it is usually closest to July 26, the feast day of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the grandparents of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Celebrations at the Sanctuary of Aparecida
In the National Shrine of Aparecida, the religious celebrations will start at 5:30 pm and continue until 6 pm. The main celebration of the Holy Mass will be presided by the Archbishop of Aparecida, Dom Orlando Brandes, at 8 am in the Central Altar of the Basilica. This Holy Mass will be transmitted by the social networks of the National Shrine.
All celebrations on this day will be open to pilgrims who are in the Shrine, who can enter the temple through the entrance located on the Esplanade São João Paulo II, near the Chapel of the Resurrection, where a health screening will take place.
On this day, the Shrine will offer to the pilgrims present, the possibility of sacramental confession in the basement of the Basilica in community ceremonies that will take place at 8:30 am, 9:00 am, 9:30 am, 10:00 am, 10:30 am, 11:00 am, 2:30 pm, and 3:00 pm.
Plenary Indulgence
The faithful who participate in the celebrations of the World Day of Grandparents will be able to receive plenary indulgences, which will also be granted to those who visit, in person or virtually, elderly people in need or in difficulty.
The elderly, the sick, and all those who are unable to leave their homes for a serious reason will also be able to receive the indulgences, provided they unite spiritually with the date through television, radio, or other means of communication.
For the indulgences to be granted, the faithful must observe the usual conditions taught by Catholic doctrine: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions. (EPC)
Compiled by Sarah Gangl