Over 20 thousand people took part in the pilgrimage of the families to the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, in Ireland, on Sunday, September 8th. On the altar there were thousands of prayers written by primary school children and gathered during the school year, to thank the Lord for the gift of their grandparents. During the Pilgrimage, time was dedicated to reflection on the role of the elderly and of grandparents in the family and in today’s society. «The family is not only the primary natural community that lives together under the same roof; it is also composed of other members, connected naturally or by acquired relations, and all together constitute the nuclear society», said Msgr. Carlos Simon Vazquez, the Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who represented the Dicastery at the Pilgrimage. «Grandparents play a fundamental and inalienable role of witness and in the education to love and personal relationships, to the responsibility for others. Now, in the present crisis, their economic support to the family is often vital». In many of the Ireland’s 26 dioceses, there is an Office of Ministry to the elderly. Together the pilgrims prayed Benedict XVI’s prayer for grandparents. This is a prayer—commented Mons. Simon Vazquez—«with a strong ecumenical value». Many of the pilgrims have confirmed that they will participate in the Pilgrimage of the Families, promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Family, to the Tomb of St. Peter in Rome, on October 26th and 27th.