Seniors, grandparents celebrate life during diocesan morning of prayer, presentations, fellowship

An enthusiastic crowd of some 150 seniors gathered July 25 in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, for the second annual “Celebrate Life, A Morning for Grandparents and Seniors,” sponsored by the diocesan Office of Human Life and Dignity.  

The event, scheduled on the eve of the feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus and parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, included breakfast, Adoration and Mass and served as a welcomed celebration of and support for seniors. Presenter Deacon Jerry Jablonowski pointed out that seniors now outnumber those under 18 years of age, meaning “we can’t be ignored or cast aside.”
 
Sadly, that experience of being made to feel invisible is one of the aspects of a profound loneliness and social isolation that many seniors experience and is one of the reasons Deacon Jablonowski makes it a point to share his presentation, “A Spiritual Vitality: The Key to Healthy Aging” with senior audiences. He refers to spiritual vitality as “the secret sauce for a healthy life.”
 
Having a 47-year career in healthcare, with 17 of those also serving as a deacon of the Church in the Diocese of Camden, Deacon Jablonowski is well aware of the importance of integrating spirituality and healthcare, and has seen, firsthand, the “influence of faith and medical practice.”
 
Deacon Jablonowski served in administrative leadership roles as COO of Memorial Hospital, Burlington County-Mount Holly (now part of Virtua Health) and served within Catholic healthcare as president and CEO of St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton. He is also former executive director of VITALity Catholic Healthcare Services of the Diocese of Camden, an integrated network of health and wellness services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
 
The key to spiritual vitality, stressed Deacon Jablonowski, is “an inner sense of the real self in relationship with God.” One of the key problems for seniors, he suggested, is the “chasm between life and faith … the compartmentalizing of faith and drawing on it only in times of need,” rather than maintaining a “spousal relationship with God, all the days of our lives, in good times and bad times.”
 
Speaking particularly to grandparents who were strongly represented within the group, Deacon Jablonowski highlighted a challenge of great concern to many grandparents – young people “abandoning the practices of their Catholic faith.”
 
He reminded those present of Pope Francis’ observation that grandparents pass on the most important values to their grandchildren and encouraged guests to trust that “what you are doing is making a difference.”
 
Bishop James F. Checchio, who joined the group prior to Mass, reiterated that among the room full of seniors and grandparents there was “so much wisdom and grace acquired over the years,” that can serve to guide those young people who “seem to be drifting.”

The Bishop shared that, over the years, he has heard from many seminarians who have shared that it was ”the example and faith of their grandparents that brought them to draw closer to Christ and find their vocation.”
 
Bishop Checchio thanked Deacon Jablonowski for his time and wisdom shared, and prayed with the large group, offering thanksgiving for all seniors and grandparents and asking for their protection and blessing through the intercession of Sts. Joachim and Anne.
 
Arlene and Thomas Botti, parishioners in St. Andrew Parish, Avenel, reflected on the meaning of the morning for them. “Tom and I try to live our faith. It is good to be with so many others who feel the same as we do. Coming to a program such as this reminds us that the older generation still matters and has much to offer to the younger generation. We can share our experience and wisdom if only by example.”
 
Deacon Jablonowski, who has been married to wife Patty for 42 years, is currently assigned to St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Swedesboro, serving at St. Joseph’s Church in Swedesboro and St. Michael’s Church in Gibbstown. He and his wife have four adult children and eight grandchildren.