Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly

This retreat is an opportunity to celebrate, along with the pilgrims of hope gathered in Rome, the beauty and centrality of family in society.

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2004 saw the first broadcast on BBC TV of the series Who Do You Think You Are?, in which celebrities trace their family histories. Today, the popular programme attracts an audience which often exceeds more than 6 million viewers per episode and has given rise to similar programmes in a number of countries throughout the world.


The TV programme and the increasing appetite to trace family histories reflect the importance of the family unit. But, as we all know too well, social changes can alter the living conditions of families and multiple crises can put a strain on family life. It is essential, then, to 

“rediscover the value of the family as the source and origin of the social order, as the vital cell of a fraternal society capable of caring for the common home” (Pope Francis).


This Jubilee event is a celebration of the family so that our world today can truly become, to use a phrase of Pope Francis, “a family-friendly society”.


And in that society Pope Francis spoke of the elderly as the “firm foundation” of the future. We must be not afraid of becoming old, because life is life, but we must restore pride to a term which is often seen negatively. 

“Because to say “old” does not mean “to be discarded”, as a degraded culture of waste sometimes leads us to think. Saying “old” instead means saying experience, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, thoughtfulness, listening, slowness…Values of which we are in great need!” (Pope Francis)


The Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly is a celebration of the life of faith that brings together and unites families, called to witness to the model of family life centred on faith, love and obedience to God's will. The Jubilee event will culminate with the celebration of Mass in St Peter's Square on Sunday 1 June, during which some children will receive their First Holy Communion.


The Programme

In preparation for and to coincide with the Jubilee event in Rome, a series of reflections and questions will be posted from 29 May – 2 June 2025 to help us participate with the pilgrims of hope gathered in Rome.


Join us as pilgrims of hope for this major Jubilee event of 2025.

Retreat prayer

The Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly

Loving God, we gather as families, pilgrims of hope, to celebrate the Jubilee. We thank you for the joys of family life, the laughter, the love, and the blessings you have bestowed upon us. We also acknowledge the challenges we face, the struggles and difficulties that can sometimes overshadow the beauty of family. We ask for your grace to help us overcome these challenges with strength, patience, and compassion. Lord God, we thank you for the comfort of your presence: even in times of loneliness, you are my hope and my confidence, you have been my rock and my fortress since my youth. I thank you for moments of joy, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me. I thank you for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which you call me. Sustain me in weakness and help me to live life to the full in each moment that you give me, in the certainty that you are with me every day, even until the end of the age. Amen.