From Generation to Generation - click for photo

 
I consider the presence of my grandparents in my life as a special treasure. One of my grandfathers died when I was six years old and I hold only a faint memory of him. My other grandparents were an integral and appreciated presence in my family for the first thirty years of my life. I count it as a singular blessing that three of my grandparents were present for my ordination to priesthood at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on May 15, 1976. The picture above was taken that day of my ordination with my Dad’s parents, William and Helen Schmidt. I will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint Martha Church this Sunday with my family in honor of the 100 ^th anniversary of their wedding. They were married on May 2, 1918 at Gate of Heaven, South Boston. They faithfully lived out the marriage vows they exchanged that day for sixty-six years until my grandfather was called home to God on Father’s Day, 1984.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, reflects regularly upon the vital vocation of grandparents within the life of the Church. He readily attests that his own strong faith must be attributed in large measure to the influence of his grandmother.  He carries with him to this day in his prayer book the letter that his grandmother wrote to him on the day of his ordination to priesthood. He re-reads and reflects upon her words often: 

On this beautiful day in which you can hold in your hands Christ Our Savior and on which a broad path for a deeper apostolate is opening before you, I leave this modest gift, which has little material value, but very great spiritual value.

Her ‘modest gift’ was her testimony of faith, including this beautiful passage.
 
Pope Francis appreciates how fortunate he was to be blessed with the presence of his grandparents during his early years.  He often counsels young people to be attentive to the words and wisdom of their grandparents while they still enjoy that opportunity.

How important is the dialogue between generations, especially within the family. This relationship, this dialogue between generations, is a treasure to preserve and nourish! How beautiful is the encouragement an older generation can pass on to young people who are seeking the meaning of faith and life! It is truly the mission, the vocation of grandparents. It is a treasure, a great injection of wisdom from generation to generation.

Pope Francis recognizes that all too often today the generation of parents is so busy and worried about the many responsibilities of providing for their families that they do not enjoy the leisure time to reflect upon their life experiences and share the wisdom of that experience and their stories of faith with their children. Many of the beautiful traditions and rituals of our Catholic Faith are held in the hearts of grandparents and great-grandparents who can most readily and happily share with the younger generation from their rich treasure trove of memory and faith experience.

As I remember my grandparents this Sunday, I know that the depth of their faith was a major contributor to my own faith formation. From my Grandmother Cullen, who faithfully participated in the Wednesday Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Mission Church in Roxbury for most of her life, I received a deep devotion to Our Blessed Mother the Rosary. From my Grandmother Schmidt, I received an early appreciation of friendship with the saints, especially in her devotion to Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Anthony. My Grandfather Schmidt offered me a living model of Saint Joseph the Worker as he was skilled like Saint Joseph with his carpenter’s hands and put those skills at the service and support of his family and his parish.

If you are a grandparent, or great grandparent, please take up your privileged vocation to share your wisdom and faith with the children of the younger generation in your family. If you are a young person, take time to be attentive to your grandparents while you have them. Sadly, the opportunity can pass much too quickly. It is a very easy thing to allow religious traditions and testimonies of faith to slip through our fingers like grains of sand through an hourglass until they are depleted. It is nearly impossible to retrieve them once they are gone!