As Mayo chases Sam, grandparents gather in Knock with a different kind of victory in mind
Founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association Catherine Wiley says this year’s National Grandparents Pilgrimage celebrates 25 years of faith, family and grandparents around the world.
As thousands of Mayo supporters will make the journey to Croke Park next Sunday in search of All-Ireland glory, another gathering will take place just 200 kilometers away with hopes of a different kind of victory.
On Sunday, July 26, thousands of grandparents and families will be bowing their heads in prayer at Ireland’s National Shrine in Knock for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
For Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA), the timing could not be more fitting.
“One team will play and the other will pray,” she said with a smile. “As a proud Mayo woman, I hope with all my heart that Sam comes home. But whatever happens in Croke Park, the Mayo players should know they’re being carried there in the prayers of thousands of grandparents.”
At 3pm, while Mayo are about begin their quest to end a 75-year wait for Sam Maguire, Archbishop Eamon Martin will celebrate Mass for the 25th National Grandparents’ Pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage marks a milestone for an organisation that began in Knock almost 25 years ago. A Mayo native and grandmother of ten, Catherine founded the Catholic Grandparents Association with a simple idea: encourage and support grandparents to pass on the gift of faith to future generations.
“It started with one grandmother wanting to support other grandparents,” Catherine explained. “We never set out to create an international organisation. We simply trusted God, and what began here in Knock has spread across the world.”
From an attendance of around 5,000 people at the first pilgrimage, the movement has grown into an international organisation with a presence in more than 60 countries.
Among its greatest achievements was persuading Pope Benedict XVI to write what has become the Church’s official Prayer for Grandparents.
“We couldn’t find a prayer for grandparents anywhere,” Catherine recalled. “So I wrote to the Pope. People thought it would never happen, but today that prayer has been translated into more than 27 languages and is prayed throughout the world.”
The association also spent years advocating for greater recognition of grandparents within the Church, efforts that culminated in Pope Francis establishing the annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021.
“We wanted the Church to recognise the vocation of grandparents,” Catherine explains. “Today that day is celebrated throughout the universal Church every year. That’s a legacy we’re incredibly proud of.”
“It wasn’t something that happened overnight,” she added. “There were years when we thought it would never happen, but we kept going. Failure was never an option.”
This year’s theme, chosen by Pope Leo XIV, is “I will never forget you” — words Catherine believes perfectly capture the role grandparents continue to play in family life.
“Grandparents should never feel forgotten,” she said. “They are the quiet people who hold families together. They’re the ones who pray, who encourage, who welcome everyone home. They’re the glue that holds families together when life becomes difficult.”
Now celebrating her 80th year and grandmother to ten grandchildren, Catherine believes grandparents remain among the greatest influences in family life, particularly in an increasingly digital world.
“Our grandchildren are growing up in a very different society,” she said. “We can’t compete with phones or the internet, but when we’re together we can still talk, listen and share our faith and values. That’s something grandparents have always done.”
The pilgrimage itself begins with the Anointing of the Sick at 2.30pm before Mass at 3pm, led this year by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland.
As excitement builds ahead of Mayo’s biggest game in decades, Catherine smiles at the thought that two very different journeys will unfold on the same afternoon.
“Faith and sport both rely on one generation passing something on to the next,” she said. “Whether Mayo lift Sam or not, everyone is a winner in Knock because we’re praying for our families and for the future.”
Whatever happens on the pitch, Catherine knows where she’ll be.
“When the final whistle blows in Croke Park, grandparents will still be praying, still hoping and still loving,” she said. “At Knock, everyone goes home a winner because everyone goes home with hope.”
Looking back on almost a quarter of a century of the Catholic Grandparents Association, Catherine says she remains humbled by what has grown from those early days in Knock.
“If I’m proud of one thing,” she said, “it’s that grandparents no longer feel forgotten. The Church recognises how important they are, and I hope that legacy will continue long after we’re gone.”
All grandparents and families are invited to join the pilgrimage in Knock on Sunday, July 26 from 2.30 pm.