SAN DIEGO — Calling all grandparents!
The diocesan Office for Family Life and Spirituality is hosting its first-ever Grandparents’ Day Retreat.
“The reality is (that) so many of our grandparents really power our Catholic community, and yet it’s sometimes rare that we really acknowledge them for that,” said Janelle Peregoy, one of the office’s associate directors.
“These are massive contributions to our Catholic community,” she said, reflecting on the impact that older Catholics have on their own families, as well as at their parishes.
The retreat, whose theme is “The Gift of Your Spiritual Wisdom,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, July 23, at the diocesan Pastoral Center.
That date was selected because of its proximity to the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which was established by Pope Francis in 2021 and is observed annually on the fourth Sunday in July, near the liturgical feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Sts. Joachim and Anne. The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated on Sunday, July 27, this year.
Peregoy said there is no cost to attend the retreat, which is open to “any grandparent that wants to talk about the role that faith plays, not only in their life, but in (the) life of the family, and what that looks like in relationship to adult children.”
“I think one of the other topics that we really look forward to covering is this idea of redefining purpose and vocation,” she said. “What does that look like? How does that look different in retirement? What does that look like in terms of maybe having more free time on your hands than you’re used to having?”
The retreat will begin with breakfast. There will be two presentations — one by Sandra Adsit, of St. Michael Parish in Poway, and another by Deacon Chris Hulburt, of St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach — each of which will be followed by small-group discussion.
Peregoy said that the office’s “big hope” is that there will be “plenty of time” for participants to make connections with fellow grandparents at the retreat.
It will conclude with a Mass celebrated by Father Charles “Chuck” Fuld, a retired priest and former editor of The Southern Cross.
“I agreed to celebrate this Mass for grandparents because I am one. I am what some people call a ‘widower-priest,’” said Father Fuld, who entered the seminary after raising his three children and has been a priest for 39 years.
Now, at 91 years old, Father Fuld has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His eighth great-grandchild is due in November.
Peregoy said that Father Fuld was “the only priest that came to mind” to celebrate the Mass, because of his unique experience as both a priest and a grandfather.
“We just thought it would be really fun to have Father Chuck come back to his old stomping grounds and share his reflections from that viewpoint,” she said.
Various apostolates that are engaged in senior ministry have been invited to attend the retreat and to share their resources with the retreatants.
Peregoy said that the idea of a grandparents’ retreat was something that she and her colleagues in the Office for Family Life and Spirituality have been considering for some time.
“Part of the reason that my office hadn’t done this before now is that we are somewhat limited, as not-yet-grandparents, in conceptualizing what might need to be discussed,” she said. “Then, we realized that certain topics kept repeating themselves in casual conversation.”
Such topics, she said, included the challenge of navigating relationships with adult children, of modeling faith and love for the whole family, and of having children and grandchildren who either live far away or who no longer practice their Catholic faith.
“We finally just decided to do it this year,” she said of the retreat, “and so we’re excited about the possibility.”
For more information, contact Janelle Peregoy at (858) 490-8292 or jperegoy@sdcatholic.org.
The preceding article has been updated to reflect that one of the presentations will be given by Deacon Chris Hulburt, not by Joe and Janet Bartel as previously announced.
