The IV World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated on Sunday, 28 July 2024.  The theme chosen by the Holy Father – “Do not cast me off in my old age” (Psalm 71:9) – is meant to call attention to the fact that, sadly, loneliness is the bitter lot in life of many elderly persons, so often the victims of the throw-away culture.

The first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was celebrated in 2021 and the Holy Father decreed that it be observed each year on the Sunday closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus' grandparents.

In this year of preparation for the Jubilee in 2025, which the Holy Father wishes to be devoted to prayer, the theme of the World Day is taken from Psalm 71, the plea of an elderly person who reflects on the story of his friendship with God.

The Pope wrote a Message for this Day and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, says that in his message, "the Holy Father emphasizes how – due to the crisis of communal belonging and the emergence of an increasingly individualistic mentality – the loneliness of the elderly is often not perceived as a problem. But the Church is called to build something different, to rediscover the taste for fraternity, and to build bonds between generations". In addition, Cardinal Farrel said that families and parishes, “are called to be at the forefront in promoting a culture of encounter, to create spaces for sharing, listening, to offer support and affection: thus, the love of Gospel becomes concrete."

The World Apostolate of Fatima associates to this initiative and invites its leaders and members to set special events for the day but also, to include in their pastoral plans, some initiatives addressed to the elderly and grandparents of our association, if possible, always in the presence of Our Lady of Fatima.