Seniors were reminded of their dignity and unique role during the 45th diocesan Senior Citizens Day celebration held Sept. 4 at Grove City Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
The event was hosted by the diocesan Office for Social Concerns. Mark Huddy, Episcopal Moderator for Catholic Charities and Social Concerns, Erin Cordle, associate director, and Angelita Canlas, assistant to the office, served as hosts.
More than 150 seniors gathered for a day of fellowship and to share lunch with Bishop Earl Fernandes.
The day included Mass celebrated by the bishop, games, door prizes and camaraderie.
“The people that you meet when you’re here is just a bonus, and some people that I don’t see on a regular basis,” said Margo Downing, a parishioner at Granville St. Edward the Confessor Church. “You don’t see those people when you’re living out in Granville, so it’s nice.”
To kick off the day, Bishop Fernandes celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In his homily, the bishop reflected on the dignity of life in all stages. He told the seniors that each has inherent dignity that comes from being a person, not from what they do or have achieved.
Bishop Fernandes recognized that seniors might feel useless at times, especially if their infant grandchildren seem to understand and operate technology better than them. However, he told them that “to be senior is not to be useless.”
He reminded seniors that they have much to offer and hand on to the next generation: the value of hard work, sacrifice, lessons in heartbrokenness and getting through a difficult time.
He encouraged seniors to share and hand on gifts they have received, especially the legacy of faith.
“You might be senior, but you have something to offer,” Bishop Fernandes said.
He pointed out that younger generations have much to learn about mourning and joy, which cannot come from technology. He said they need the witness of seniors praying on their knees in faith.
“I never saw love come out of a phone,” the bishop said.
He reminded those gathered that the Holy Father wants a Church that walks together and listens to each other.
He also recognized the ailments and difficulties that come with aging. Bishop Fernandes encouraged seniors to offer up their suffering, noting that suffering can be used as an offering for someone else.
“I love the Mass,” said Joan Rovnak, a parishioner at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church. “I love that the bishop talked particularly to the senior citizens and made us feel special, let us know – even though we know – that we still have a lot of work to do, and that we’re a good example, especially to our grandchildren.”
Downing also enjoyed Bishop Fernandes’ message to seniors, and she understood the importance of intergenerational bonds.
“The bishop always has a wonderful message for us to take to heart, and it feels good to be appreciated,” she said. “He knows that if you live this long, you’ve had the pain, the suffering and the joys, and I do believe our pastor talks often, too, about sharing our stories with even the people within our parish.
“He tries to work hard to get them together – the different generations – so that we would learn from them, and they keep us young.”
After Mass, seniors gathered in the parish hall for lunch.
“Life is precious from conception to natural death, and that’s what we’re celebrating,” Huddy said in his message to the seniors. “We celebrate this continuum of life.”
Dignity was a theme of the celebration. The dignity of every person was evident in the details of the day.
Lunch was provided by Freedom a la Cart, which empowers survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation to build lives of freedom and self-sufficiency.
Attendees also had an opportunity to win door prizes. All door prizes were fair and ethical trade items from SERRV International, www.serrv.org, which supports global artisans and farmers through long-term trading partnerships, helping to build sustainable employment, resources, rights and a vision of hope in their communities.
In the afternoon, seniors played a game of “pass the beans.” They passed a bag of fair-trade organic coffee beans from SERRV International around the table. Whoever had the bag in hand when the game ended won the coffee beans.
After sharing a meal with the seniors, Bishop Fernandes offered an address.
The bishop reiterated the dignity of each person at every stage in life. He reminded seniors of the important role they play in their families, the Church and larger society.
For those who are married, he explained the importance of married couples witnessing to God’s love.
“Your faithful witness to the Lord, especially in your marriages, tells people, especially young people, that love is real and that love can last, that a lasting love requires a degree of sacrifice, and many of you have made a lot of sacrifices for one another and for your children and your children’s children,” he said.
“This, I think, is an important dimension of growing older. That is, being witnesses to love and to knowing that, even as we get older, we are still loved by God. His love endures forever, and you are witnesses to that faithful and ever-fruitful love of God.
“That’s where I need you because, in our diocese, people have lots of money, but they need Jesus Christ. They need the love of Jesus Christ, and they need to be assured that it is real.”
Downing enjoyed spending the day with other seniors. Gathering together for the day had many benefits.
“I think it gets us out of the house, those that can do that,” she said. “Being engaged with people, I think, is so important to your mental health as well as your physical health.
“I think it’s important that they try to get out, and they engage,” she said of other seniors. “I have a friend who is, more or less, homebound, and she’s declining so quickly, I think, because of lack of meeting with other people.”
S. Kelley Henderson, the CEO of Catholic Social Services (CSS), shared information about CSS’ Senior Companion Program, which can be beneficial for individuals such as Downing’s friend. The program pairs senior volunteers with like-minded peers, fostering meaningful connections and combating loneliness among seniors.
Henderson encouraged seniors to consider being a senior companion. Through casual chats, activities and creating memories together, the program enhances the quality of life for seniors and their companions.
Downing recognized that many likely could not attend the day’s celebration because of being homebound or due to transportation issues.
For those who could attend, the response was positive.
“Just to see this many people want to come and be here –,” Rovnak said. “It was so funny – the same man that sat with us last year sat with us today.”
JoEllen Fancelli Vickers, a parishioner at St. Matthew, also saw several familiar faces. She saw individuals she grew up with decades ago at Columbus St. James the Less Church.
“Several people came over to me that were way back where I got married and all that,” she said.
The day was also a celebration for Vickers as it was her 72nd birthday.
“That made it special,” she said.
“I enjoyed it. Being with seniors and being with Catholic people is a joy for me. I love being with these people, and I love coming to these kinds of things because they are important – we are important.”