Bishop Hanchon celebrates second annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly with Mass, reception at Detroit cathedral
DETROIT — During the second annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis took time on his flight to Canada to remember and commend grandparents for their crucial role in the life of the Church.
The pope, who instituted the celebration in 2021 near the feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Saints Joachim and Anne, said grandparents are a “link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.”
“Young people must have contact with their grandparents, go back to them, go back to their roots," Pope Francis said, "not to stay there, no, but to take them forward like the tree, which takes strength from the roots and carries it forward in the flowers, in the fruit.”
At the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Auxiliary Bishop Donald F. Hanchon celebrated Mass for grandparents and the elderly June 24, followed by a hot dog luncheon and reception that included a photo booth and a snow cone truck for families to enjoy.
Anne and Chris Monette of Guardian Angels Parish in Clawson brought five of their eight grandchildren to the cathedral to share in Mass as a family.
The five, all girls — their lips stained the colors of the rainbow from the snow cones — enthusiastically talked over one another, telling Detroit Catholic what they had learned from their grandparents:
“Always be kind!”
“To behave.”
“To always follow our dreams!”
“They also taught us how to cook.”
“Love my mom and dad, and be friendly!”
The Monettes and their granddaughters made clear how much they delighted in one another, and Anne and Chris proudly shared how amazing it is to see what they taught their children reflected in the next generation.
“It is a great opportunity to pass our faith on, like it's been passed on to us," Chris Monette said. "It's wonderful to see little children who are so loving and innocent and the way they impact our lives.”
Being a grandparent is everything, Anne said, adding the couple sees how valuing family has paid off through the generations.
“Our kids all live nearby, and they impart the value that we imparted to them, and it's such a blessing," Anne Monette said. "We're so lucky. We get together all the time, and they never get tired of us. They include us in all of their events.”
During his homily, Bishop Hanchon reflected on the important role of grandparents; grandparents are key in passing on lessons of forgiveness to the next generations, just as God the Father forgives through Jesus, he said.
Forgiveness is important in a world where things aren’t always perfect, Bishop Hanchon added. There are often moments of imperfection, darkness and ego that get in the way.
“God not only forgives us, but He also gives us His own son who shares with us his Holy Spirit and who takes all of those sins, all of those unhappy memories of the times when we found it difficult to forgive and nails them to the cross so that we can be free of them," Bishop Hanchon said. "This is the great good news that grandparents have to share with their grandchildren.”
Grandparents have wisdom from experience, the bishop added.
“I pray that your experiences of asking for and receiving forgiveness might inspire you to share them in those difficult moments that families always have so that the next generation of believers will learn we have a job to do," Bishop Hanchon said. "We are forgivers; we are reconcilers; we are peacemakers; we are proclaimers of the Gospel: the good news that despite all our imperfections, God himself loves us."
Other grandparents at the Mass said they've been able to see this legacy of forgiveness and faith passed on through their families.
Frances Watson attended the Mass with two of her six children, including her daughter Roslyn, Roslyn's son Darius (who is one of Watson’s 14 grandchildren), and Darius’s sons, two of Watson’s six great-grandchildren.
“They teach me to love even more than what I've loved," Watson said. "I'm so very proud of them.”
Norman Duffy of St. Anastasia Parish in Troy, a grandfather of six and great-grandfather of six with another on the way, said the most important lesson he hopes to impart to his grandchildren is the importance of staying together as a family.
“I've learned that life is just a succession of choices,” Duffy said. “One of the good things being about a great-grandfather is being able to watch all the results of the things that happened in the past. We weren’t perfect, but we are happy to see them come out and do well.”
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