On the 26th of July, 2026, the Diocesan Family Service Centre, Goa celebrated the 6th Day for the Grandparents and the Elderly in the Parish of St. John the Baptist Church, Benaulim. The Holy Eucharist was celebrated at 8.45 a.m. of which Fr. Albano Fernandes, the Director of DFSC was the main celebrant and Fr. Xavier Estibeiro, the Parish Priest and Fr. Malcolm Colaco, the Assistant were the concelebrants. The Liturgy focusing on the theme ‘Amcho Xepai-Xemai amche theve’ was well organized by the Catechism Children with the help of their catechism teacher. In his homily, reflecting on the lives of our grandparents and elderly, Fr. Albano reminded them about the Pope Leo’s message for this year on the theme; ‘I will never forget you’ (Is. 149,15) He further shared the pricelessness of our Grandparents by using the acronym GRAND. While there were many Grandparents and Elderly who participated in the Holy Eucharist, keeping in mind the Golden Jubilee of the DFSC, there were 10 couples (grandparents) who were above the age of 75 years who were honored and felicitated for their sacrifices towards their families and dedicated marital journey.
After the Mass, the Catechists and Catechism children organized a meaningful and memorable programme for them. Each class presented an item which focused on keeping the Grandparents and Elderly happy and entertaining. They also brought out the importance of them in our family lives with a message to love, respect and honour them always. The items included prayer dance, action songs, fusion songs, skits and spot prizes. There were around 150 Grandparents who attended the programme. Fr. Albano Fernandes, who was also the chief guest, appreciated the Catechists and the children for their love and respect shown towards their Grandparents and Elderly and reminded them of the message he reflected during the Holy Eucharist. After cutting of the cake, every grandparent were presented with a gift to cherish this memorable celebration aas they were leaving the hall. The Catechist Sarita compered the programme and Catechetical Co-coordinator, Meliza Pinto, proposed the vote of thanks. The motivation, inspiration and collaboration of the Parish Priest and his Assistant were highly appreciated and noted with gratitude and love.
Meliza Pinto,
St. John the Baptist Church, Benaulim
