Grandparents’ Day

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Breakfasts, shared Masses and games together — these are just some of the ways that schools in the Diocese of Covington celebrate their grandparents. These celebrations coincide with National Grandparents’ Day — celebrated this year on Sept. 7.

While celebrated internationally on various days, such as the July World Day for Grandparents and Elderly established by Pope Francis in 2021, this national holiday celebrated during the school year is a tradition where schools invite students’ grandparents to join them.

The importance of grandparents and elders in a community is not to be understated — and it is Pope Leo XIV who calls the elderly “signs of hope” in his 2025 message for World Day for Grandparents and Elderly. “In the Bible, God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years. This was the case not only with Abraham, Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, but also with Moses, who was called to set his people free when he was already 80 years old,” Pope Leo said. “God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope.

“The life of the Church and the world can only be understood in light of the passage of generations. Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships. Instead, life is constantly pointing us toward the future.”

In his last message for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis also referred to elders as “‘the firm foundation’ on which ‘new’ stones can rest, in order to join in erecting a spiritual edifice.” In fact, throughout his time as pope, Pope Francis often spoke on the importance of the elderly, specifically in the context of their relationship to young people — as stewards and teachers to one another.