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Grandparents in Faith
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Passing on the Gifts of the Catholic Faith to Future Generations
ver the years, Pope Francis has shared a lot of wisdom about the treasure that grandparents are and the importance of their role within their family and the church. He even instated an annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on the fourth Sunday in July, close to the Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim on July 26. Sts. Anne and Joachim are the grandparents of Christ, and thus the church has bestowed on them the honor of being the patron saints of grandparents. In one audience Pope Francis said, “They remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, to transmit to young people an experience of life and faith.” In the Diocese of Cleveland, several ministries are recognizing the crucial role that grandparents play in the lives of their families, and these ministries are looking for ways to support grandparents as they embark on this portion of their vocational journey. “We started talking about grandparents being a group that passes on the faith,” says Terri Yohman, Director of Family Life for the Diocese of Cleveland. “Knowing that many of our children are not in the faith, we as grandparents are looking to
evangelize our grandchildren. We are trying to not only validate what these grandparents are doing but also find ways to support them.” In recent months, several workshops have been held across the diocese to do just that. “We have involved Fr. Damian Ference (Vicar of Evangelization), Francine Costantini (Youth Ministry Director), Mike Hayes (Young Adult Ministry Director), and Miguel Chavez (Director of Missionary Discipleship),” Terri says. “They have put together several presentations about what is going on in the youth population and give practical advice and direction for evangelizing to them. We have also given many examples of practical things that grandparents can do as well such as putting together Baptism baskets or different types of prayers they can do with their grandchildren. These workshops have discussed talking with their grandchildren about their own faith story, even just sharing memories or photos of receiving your sacraments in the Church. This initiative of supporting and having workshops for grandparents has recently caught the attention of EWTN. This well-known Catholic media agency interviewed Fr. Damien Ference about this initiative and continued on back cover
“Knowing that many of our children are not in the faith, we as grandparents are looking to evangelize our grandchildren. We are trying to not only validate what these grandparents are doing, but also find ways to support them.” — Terri Yohman, Director of Family Life, Diocese of Cleveland
