QUEZON CITY — The Marilag Senior Citizens Association (MSCA) has called on its nearly 1,000 members in Project 4 to visit sick and homebound elderly individuals as part of the celebration of the 5th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (WDGE) on Sunday, July 27.

In a recent officers’ meeting, MSCA leaders urged all senior citizens’ organizations to hold activities that would help lonely, ill, and abandoned seniors feel the care and love of their community.

The appeal echoes Pope Leo IV’s call to the Catholic faithful to mark WDGE by spending meaningful time with elderly individuals who need care, particularly for those who cannot join the pilgrimage to Rome.

The Pope said such acts of compassion are among the ways to obtain the Jubilee indulgence, particularly to those who are unable to go to the pilgrimage.

To highlight the celebration, MSCA will offer a special Mass for grandparents and senior citizens at 9 a.m. on Sunday at the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Quezon City.

After the Mass, MSCA officers and members will visit ailing seniors within the Project 4 community to bring gift packs and offer prayers.

Among those to be visited is 102-year-old Maria “Lola Bayang” Chua, who has been bedridden for nearly five years. Lola Bayang received government centenarian benefits when she turned 100 on September 22, 2022.

However, what was planned to be a joyful visit will no longer include 98-year-old Conchita U. Aguilar of J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay Marilag.

Aguilar, a devout and deeply religious woman, passed away just two days before the WDGE celebration, her daughter Thelma Manlangit confirmed.