Category: Growing Older

Carers Project launched

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Growing Old Grace-fully is delighted to announce the launch of a new Carers Project, which will be a key focus of our work.

The main aim of the project is to recognise and value the role of unpaid carers and offer emotional and spiritual support to them within the Catholic Diocese of Leeds.

Unpaid carers can often face isolation at a time when they may have difficult decisions to make and a range of emotions that caring for a loved one can bring.

The project aims to help reduce the isolation, giving carers the opportunity to engage with other Christian carers and support each other through their faith.

So many people, including many older people, have caring responsibilities of some sort, for spouses, friends and adult children with special needs. Caring is something hugely important to society and a real vocation, whether chosen or not. 

The project will be coordinated and led by Michelle Anderson and we are delighted Michelle is joining the Growing Old Grace-fully team.

Michelle Anderson, Carers Project Coordinator

Michelle introduces herself as follows:

“I live within the Diocese of Leeds and am a parishioner of the Parish of St Mary and St Patrick in Batley and Birstall. I am the Parish Administrator and also a Foundation Governor of St Mary’s Catholic Primary Academy. I take an active part in parish life and enjoy meeting new people. Since leaving education I have been involved in support and care in a variety of roles.

“Working with older people, and advocating for vulnerable people and those in need of support, has always been something that has been close to my heart. Making a difference and helping to make improvements in people’s lives, no matter how small, is something I have always been passionate about”.

Would you like to be involved in the project?

There will be a number of ways to be involved in the project. These will include:

  • Regular online meetings where carers will have the opportunity to chat and share with each other, including space and time to pray.
  • Days of reflection for carers
  • Online talks where carers will be able to share their reflections and look at how faith helps.

If you would like to get involved with the project or you feel the project could be of benefit to you or someone you know please get in touch, either through your parish priest or by visiting our website growingoldgracefully.org.uk.

You can also email carersproject@growingoldgracefully.org.uk and contact Michelle directly.

“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.” Psalm 46:2

Pastoral Worker for Older People – first report

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Dr Frances Norton, Pastoral Worker for Older People at Mary Mother of God Parish in Bradford has done her first report, which gives an excellent account of the amazing work she has been doing.  

The Pastoral Worker for Older People is a project proposed and commissioned by Growing Old Grace-fully and funded by The Ladies of the Grail. 

Dr Frances Norton, Pastoral Worker for Older People, Mary Mother of God Parish, Bradford

Frances describes how she has been a regular visitor to older people of Mary Mother of God parish in Bradford, to offer older people spiritual opportunities, giving space to develop a fuller faith and prayer life.

She has organised trips: To Our Lady of the Crag, Knaresborough, Our Lady of Doncaster (at St Peter-in-Chains), Our Lady of Manchester (at St. Mary’s, ‘the Hidden Gem’) and also organised also one-off events funded through local council bids, such as the icon painting and brambling for the Feast of the Assumption; and afternoon tea and memory box crafts.

This is a great start to this very positive and special project. We thank The Ladies of the Grail for the funding, Monsignor Paul Grogan and the parish for taking on and overseeing the project and role – and of course to Frances for delivering the work!  

To read Frances report, click on the button below.

Pastoral Worker report

A busy and productive year – Annual Review 2025

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To access the Annual Review, click on the above or on the button below.
Annual Review 2025

The Growing Old Grace-fully Annual Review 2025 gives an account of our activities in 2025.

Carol Burns, Growing Old Grace-fully Chair of Trustees gives an overview in her Chair’s Report.

There is also a first report from the Dr. Frances Norton, Pastoral Worker for Older People at Mary Mother of God Parish, Bradford, which is very exciting – and gives a good sense of the amazing work she is doing there in this role. This is a project proposed and commissioned by Growing Old Grace-fully and funded by The Ladies of the Grail. Frances has also done the first of her own reports here, which is well worth a read and shows the difference she and this project is making in the parish and area.

On page 2, there are details of Growing Old Grace-fully’s two main overall activities – dementia awareness and training (online and in-parish); and our programme of spiritual events, online and in-person, which in 2025 were centred around the theme of being Pilgrims of Hope, as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church.

As ever, we thank our funders who enable our work to happen – and who support and engage with us.

2026 Calendar – key dates

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Growing Old Grace-fully produces a handy calendar of key dates in 2026 related to older people and later life. This can help parishes and other communities plan specific events around Feasts in the Church calendar or national events related to later life and older people.

Our mission is to enhance the spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing of older people across the Catholic Diocese of Leeds through raising awareness, inspiring and supporting responsive action in parishes. Part of this is to encourage parishes to have events and specific services for older people. Events and services celebrating later life and the contribution older people make to parish, community and society. Plus events and services related to the challenges of later life – such as healing Masses, services to remember loved ones and to deal with grief, bereavement, dementia and loneliness.

In the Calendar you will find relevant Catholic Feast Days and other Church occassions, most notably World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in July, as well as national and international events and weeks related to older people and later life.

Do consider marking some of these in your parish – as well as using them as an opportunity for reflection and prayer.

You can download the calendar here by clicking on the button below:

Calendar 2026

Freelance opportunity – carers project

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Growing Old Grace-fully is looking for an energetic self-starter to work on a freelance basis assisting  the development of a new project supporting spiritual and emotional needs of unpaid Carers in the Catholic Diocese of Leeds.

The appointee will build upon the work of the Growing Old Gracefully project which has been celebrating older people for over 15 years.

The project involves providing online support to reduce isolation and work in parishes.

The successful appointee will be an excellent organiser with outstanding communication skills, a good understanding of the needs of older people and sympathy with the ethos of the Catholic Church as well as commitment to ecumenical partnerships.

The project has funding for a part-time role, working 12 hours per week (or monthly equivalent) at £20 per hour plus travel expense.

We have funding initially for a one-year contract.

The closing date is January 16th 2026

Interviews will be held on Thursday January 28th 2026

To send for an application pack please e mail carol.burns@yahoo.co.uk

Advent Prayers 2025 – in the Jubilee Year of Hope

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As we enter this holy season of Advent, we reflect as people who have travelled many years and gathered much wisdom along the way. This Advent is in the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, with us invited as Pilgrims of Hope to remain anchored in the hope of Jesus Christ and to do so especially in this season of hopeful waiting.  

Later life brings its own blessings—time for reflection, deeper gratitude, and often a clearer sense of what truly matters—but it can also bring worries. Many of us look at the troubling state of our world, the divisions between people, and the growing cost-of-living pressures and often feel a heaviness that is hard to shake. Questions about the future surface more easily now – our own and the future of our loved ones and our world –  and our prayers may reflect these fears and troubles as we turn anxiously to God for help.

Yet Advent invites us to lift our eyes. It reminds us that God draws near not in times of ease, but precisely in times of uncertainty. Into a troubled world, into an occupied land, into a humble stable, Jesus Christ was born. His coming—then and now—brings light that no darkness can overcome.

As we journey through these precious weeks, towards the end of the Jubilee Year of Hope,  may we find comfort in the promise of Emmanuel, “God with us.” May the hope of Christ’s birth renew our courage, steady our hearts, and assure us that even in later life—and perhaps especially then—God is still at work, guiding us toward peace, joy, and a love that endures.

God of Hope

God of hope,
we cling to you,
for you renew the face of the earth.

Through the gift of your Son,
our Lord Jesus,
we follow you on the path of dawn.

Enlightened by your love and wisdom,
help us to lead each other
and all creatures
back to your open arms.
Amen.

Rachel McCarthy/CAFOD

Advent Prayer by Henri Nouwen

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people,
walking in darkness,
yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Amen

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Pilgrims of Hope: Journeying as Older People

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On Wednesday 8th October 2025, Growing Old Grace-fully welcomed people to Cathedral Hall, formerly Wheeler Hall, a beautiful, accessible space behind Leeds Cathedral, for a morning of reflection as part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope.

After registration and welcome refreshments, Carol Burns, Growing Old Grace-fully’s Chair of Trustees, introduced the event, led by Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey.

Paula introduced the theme of the morning by briefly reviewing the themes of the ‘Doorways of Hope’ series of reflections that have taken place on Zoom throughout this year of Pilgrimage: First of all, seeing Glimpses of Hope, then Living in the Flow of Hope and then Holding Hope throughout life.  She explained that the invitation for people was for a deeper sense of themselves as pilgrims of hope in their daily lives at this stage of life.

The morning of reflection then began with a stilling – a time of guided prayer. A candle was lit within a centrepiece, which had been placed in the centre of the circle. 

Paula gently guided the group in a time of prayer to settle their bodies and minds and become still and centred. She based this on a quote by Fr Richard Rohr, ‘God’s love is the still point and centre of this turning world.’

The group were asked to notice their hopes and desires for the morning and to spend some time speaking with God about this. The stilling ended with the group listening to, ‘Be still for the presence of the Lord’ and a time of silence.

The first session was led by Mgr Donal who spoke about our history of being pilgrims. He explored the theme of the journey of our lives and acknowledged the importance of each different stage.

He quoted from the poem Somewhere by RS Thomas, “The point of travelling is not to arrive, but to return homeladen with pollen you shall work up into the honey the mind feeds on“.

Paula then explored aspects of the themes ‘Glimpses of Hope’ and ‘Living in the Flow of Hope’. She used images, music, poetry and time for silent reflection to help the group to go deeper and open their awareness more fully the presence of Hope in their lives. To notice the glimpses of Hope offer within each day and the places where there is a sense of ‘flow’ within their lives and within themselves. To see these all as places of invitation to a deeper sense of God’s presence and love that is already with them. A time of prayer then followed using Lectio Davina on Psalm 23 and the group were given some questions for personal reflection.

Mgr Donal then spoke to the group on the final theme, ‘Holding Hope in a Fragile World.’ He explored the fragility of the world and how the wisdom, faith and strength of older people are all gifts that the world needs.

He also stressed the gifts of encouragement and time that we have to offer, particularly to the younger people in our lives.

The morning concluded with a closing liturgy based on the theme of being pilgrims. Isaiah 40: 28-31, bidding prayers and a blessing were read by different members of the GOG team.

Paula has prepared a summary sheet from the event, which can be downloaded here.

At the end of the event, everyone was invited to leave a thought from the day, a comment or a reflection, and stick it on a feedback board.

The comments people left were as follows:

“Wonderful, powerful presentation with deeply meaningful slides. A lot of preparation and prayer must have gone into it before.”

“A thought provoking morning. I feel uplifted. The interaction was beneficial.”

“Very affirming and encouraging. A good balance of input and meditation. God bless and thank you.”

“Thank you a million times!”

“Really good thank you. Nice to meet other “old” “graceful” peers!”

“Very thoughtful and inspiring window into the fruitfulness of old age. Thank you!”

“Our role – to ENCOURAGE. Breakthrough from action.”

“That was a beautiful morning, thank you all who contributed. Will come again. Love, thanks and prayers.”

“What a spiritual morning! Thank you.”

“A hopeful, restful morning. Holding our heads up. Thank you.”

“Brilliant. Thank you Paula and Fr. Donal all who planned it. Look forward to the next one!”

“Thank you for all you do. Last to come and last to leave, after meeting old friends.” 

“Thank you for organising the face-to-face event.  Excellent.”

A shared lunch followed which was enjoyed by all.

We thank Paula and Fr Donal for leading this very special event and to all who attended.

Trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster – Saturday 25th October 2025

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On Saturday 25th October, there is a day trip to the to the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster from Mary Mother of God Parish, Bradford, but all are welcome to join.

In medieval times, the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster was one of the most famous Marion Shrines in England and was the most important Shrine dedicated to Our Lady in Yorkshire. The original statue in the Carmelite friary was destroyed during the English Reformation. A modern shrine was erected in St Peter-in-Chains Church in Doncaster in 1973.

A minibus is doing two pick-ups, the first at St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Buttershaw at 9:45am, then St. Winefride’s Church, Wibsey at 10am.

The trip will include a Mass at the Shrine and a talk about it and the history of Our Lady of Doncaster. There will be time for a picnic or pub lunch.

The trip is being organised by the parish’s Pastoral Worker for Older People, Frances Norton. To attend, just email Frances at: pwop.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or the office office.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or call the parish office 01274 677992.

Afternoon Tea and Memory Box Crafts – Wednesday 1st October, St Winefrede’s, Wibsey

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On Wednesday 1st October – International Day of Older Persons – there is a special afternoon tea and memory box crafts event in St. Winifrede’s Hall, Wibsey (part of Mary of Mother of God Parish).

The event is taking place between 3-5pm and all are welcome.

It is being organised by the parish’s Pastoral Worker for Older People, Frances Norton. To attend, just email Frances at: pwop.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or the office office.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or call the parish office 01274 677992.

Christians on Ageing – Faces of Hope in Later Life – Conference

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On Wednesday 24th September, 10:30am – 4:00pm, Christians on Ageing are hosting an online free conference ‘Faces of Hope in Later Life’, focusing on the positive horizons of later life as well as its challenges.

The keynote speaker will be Revd Michael Jackson, formerly Director of St John’s Winchester Charity and author of Still Love Left: Faith and Hope in Later Life.

In addition, the Conference will hear from:

John MacMillan, CEO of the Eric Liddell Community, Edinburgh, whose work with older people in the community embodies Eric Liddell’s values of compassion, inclusion and hope in all circumstances.

Olivia Luijnenburg, pursuing post-doctoral studies on dementia at Kings College London. She is a medical anthropologist with a special interest in residential care for older people, dementia care, spirituality and spiritual care.

The lunchtime interactive workshop will be led by Liv McLennan, co-founder and director of Sounds Better CIC. Liv has a particular interest in working with people with dementia and respiratory conditions. She is currently undertaking doctoral studies in intergenerational music within a care home setting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

To book a place please click here.