From Father George's Desk 7/27/25

The greeting card companies have been trying to market the Sunday after Labor Day as “Grandparents’ Day” for years, but our Church’s celebration of Grandparents’ Day falls on the fourth Sunday of July. In 2021, Pope Francis declared that World Day for Grandparents would be observed annually on the fourth Sunday of July, since it falls closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on July 26. We have no real historically verifiable information about Joachim or Anne, except to know that they existed. The information we do have comes from pious legend and from the apocryphal Gospel of James, which dates from the second century. Mary’s parents (even the names Joachim and Anne are known only through the Gospel of James) are typically presented as an old and barren couple, who long to bring a child into the world. An angel (God’s messenger) delivers the news that, not only are they to have a child, but one who will be revered for all time. But the holiness and heroism of this couple can be inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. The bottom line is whether we rely on the pious legends or extrapolate from information we can glean from the pages of the Bible, we see in Mary the fulfillment of many generations of faithful and prayerful people. Joachim and Anne—whether these are their real names or not—represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith, and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure [americancatholic.org].

This observance reminds grandparents of their responsibility to set the tone for the generations who follow: to pass on the traditions of faith handed down through the ages, to bring the customs of our families and our Church to life for their grandchildren, and to be the voice of wisdom in their families that can come only with a lifetime of experience. This “feast of grandparents” is important for the younger generations as well. We need to be mindful that our grandparents have lived more and seen more than us; there is much we can learn from them. Many of our grandparents made sacrifices that we who have come after are not even aware of sometimes, or can comprehend. Two of my own grandparents died when I was a little boy; I was very fortunate to have the other two with me into adulthood. My own experience taught me to treasure those relationships; grandparents have a lot of love to give and wisdom to share. We “youngins” would do well to listen and learn.

“’Extreme Unction,’ which may also and more fittingly be called ’Anointing of the Sick,’ is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has already arrived.” [The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #73] All too often we think of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is only for those at the point of death, however, this foundational teaching statement of the Second Vatican Council reminds us otherwise. The Church’s Code of Canon Law directs pastors “to see to it that the sick are supported by this sacrament at the appropriate time”. [Canon 1001] To that end, on September 6 we will be introducing a quarterly Anointing Mass, which will alternate between our parishes. These Masses will not only provide more chances to celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of Sick but also presents a wonderful opportunity raise the awareness and understanding of the sacrament.

Quite often it is the little things in life that get overlooked, like always remembering to say “Thank you”. So, allow me to say thank you to all of our bulletin sponsors, who make it possible for us to present parish information to you in this colorful, professionally-produced publication each and every week. Please be sure to check out the ads on the back page of the bulletin and whenever possible, patronize our sponsors’ businesses. And when you do, please be sure to let them know that you appreciate their support of our parish. If you are a business owner that is not currently advertising on our bulletin, please consider doing so. Contact information for our publisher, LPi, is available on the back page each week as well