May 2026 – It’s tough to get old … I guess.
Wait, let me set the record straight. I am old. OK, I got that off my chest, and I feel better already. So let me share some senior thoughts with you.
Over the years, a lot of people have said to me: “There’s only old people in church. We need young people.”
I guess I’ve said it, too, and I’ve often heard it from young people who are ecstatic, as we all are, that in recent years, they’re coming back to and coming into the Church. There’s nothing more gratifying than pic tures of young Catholic school kids in the classroom, young adult Catholics getting together to talk about their faith or go to Eucharistic Adoration, and young parents who are raising families and bringing their chil dren to Mass.
On the other hand, I know many people—some in my own family—who made sure their kids got the sacraments and then … poof … their faith flatlined after Confirmation. Not just the faith of the young people, but equally tragic, the faith of their parents. According to one study, almost 80 percent of fallen-away Catholics left the Church by the time they were 23.
As I’ve been told and as I’ve often said, young people are the future of the Church. But one morning I had another insight while I was sitting in the pew, waiting for daily Mass to start. I got to thinking: What about these old people around me and the countless others who watch Mass on TV every day? They’ve done considerably more than just keep the pews warm for when the next generation returns.
And even though they may not be the future of the Church, they’ve done something tremendously important because without them, there would be no future of the Church.
They stayed when others left. They endured what was argu ably the darkest period in the Church’s history. They remained focused on Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. And they often suf fered the derision of family mem bers and friends for being loyal at a time when there was little loyalty to be found.
That morning, as I looked around the church, I saw many nonagenarians. In case you don’t know what that word means, don’t feel bad because I had to look it up too. They’re people in their 90s.
The church I go to has a lot of them—except for one guy who’s a centenarian, clocking in at approximately 103. In addition to his strong faith, he has an illustri ous past because at 18 years old, when he was barely out of high school, he flew bombing missions over Nazi Germany. So I guess we owe him a debt of gratitude for saving Western Civilization … and for staying with the Church when others were walking away.
I looked at the others sitting in their pews and praying. Several have cancer, and yet they make an effort to get up and go to Mass because it’s the most important part of their day. Correction: It’s the most important part of their lives.
Others are lonely, I’m sure, because very often their kids don’t call for any number of rea sons—they’re too busy raising their own kids, they’re dealing with problems at work or they’re preoccupied with the challenges in their lives. Loneliness often comes with aging.
I know many of their stories because they’ve told me. They willingly share the details of their lives and the challenges they face because of poor health, a dying spouse or family members who have no faith.
Yes, they deserve our gratitude because they held the church together when so many others abandoned it. They’re every where. You’ll see them in your own parishes. They’re the women and men whose prayers, sacrific es, Rosaries, personal sufferings and more brought down torrents of graces during this time of renewal.
When it comes to serving Jesus and spreading the Gospel, you’re never too old. Jesus has a job for everyone.
I’m convinced that someday when we get to the heavenly banquet, we’ll walk into the room and see a lot of familiar faces. They’ll be the faces of these humble, faithful men and women—these old men and women—who stayed committed to Christ and were loyal to the end.
So when you go into church and see elderly faces, take that as a good sign the Holy Spirit is at work, because they’re holding everything together for future generations.
