Grandparents pilgrimage to Aylesford

Grandparents Day at Ayelesford

Dozens of grandparents - many accompanied by their children and grandchildren - gathered for the annual Grandparents' Pilgrimage at The Friars, Aylesford in Kent, on 14 July.

They were joined by Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton and Bishop John Hine. The Pilgrimage celebrated Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, whose Feast Day is 26 July.

In the opening prayer service, Fr Graham Preston, Southwark's Episcopal Vicar for Marriage and Family Life, spoke of the day as being one of ‘Faith and Fun’.

There are few things that give grandparents as much joy as seeing their grandchildren enjoying themselves. The afternoon provided ample opportunity for this.

Mass was celebrated by the bishops towards the end of the day, after which hundreds of balloons, each carrying a prayer, were released.

Source: Archdiocese of Southwark