iServi News | 29 July 2022 | Term 3, Week 2
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
In 2021 Pope Francis announced a new celebration in honour of all older people, to be held every year on the fourth Sunday in July. Servite College celebrated World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly for the first time this year, and it was wonderful to welcome so many special members of our community to join us on campus.
During the press conference to present the official message from the Pope for the 2022 celebrations, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, observed: “The Pope’s message for the upcoming World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is the alternative to the culture of rejection: it helps all of us, and the elderly themselves, to understand that – far from being material to be thrown away – they have precise vocation within our communities. In this time that yearns for peace, the Church has a great need for elders, who have the ‘gift’ of tenderness, who are able to protect and intercede.”
This is one of my most precious photos. I come from a large Italian family with family split in both Italy and here in Australia. My maternal grandparents lived in Australia and my paternal grandparents lived in Italy. This is the only photo in existence of both sets of grandparents together.
My paternal grandfather passed away a short time after this photo was taken and therefore this photo could never be reproduced. Sadly, all four have now passed, with my maternal grandmother passing just over a year ago. When I see this photo and think of these four amazing people, I think of the love, sacrifice and commitment to family they all had.
Grandparents are so important as they are the start of our story. In celebrating World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, we can all consider the sacrifices our grandparents made to allow us to live the life we live. We are deeply grateful for their love of family and for community.
At Servite College we strongly value community. This week our Year 7 students made cards for residents of Servite Village and MyVista aged care facilities, to let them know they are important people in our community. Community accepts people as they are and provides them with the environment they need to thrive. This is almost the job description of grandparents and the elderly members in our families.
Older people are the foundation of our community! I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the elderly and the grandparents in our Servite community. Please know you are always honoured here and always welcome at Servite College. We hope each guest visiting our school this week felt welcome, safe and respected, as we hope all our students feel each day.
Ms Silvana Vicoli
Principal