From 7 to 27 September 2026, Embracing Our Sunset Grace is taking place at Canossa Convent in Singapore. This formation and reflection programme is dedicated to understanding and accompanying older people with compassion, dignity and hope.
The programme explores the role of older people in the Church, the ageing process and spiritual accompaniment. It helps participants to see ageing not simply as a period of decline, but as a meaningful stage of life, rich in grace, wisdom and purpose.
Through talks, prayer, group sharing, reflection sessions and discussions of practical case studies, participants from different communities and countries have the opportunity to learn from one another and share experiences and good practices.
The programme seeks to strengthen the commitment to accompanying older people, particularly those who are ill, lonely or vulnerable, and to promote a culture of care, respect and hope.
Thirty-two Sisters from different parts of the CCTAO region—the Canossian Conference of Asia and Oceania—are taking part, including participants from North America, India, Togo, North-East Africa and Europe. The opening liturgy, As the Light Changes… A Time to Remember, Give Thanks, Let Go, Hope—Mentre la luce cambia… un tempo per ricordare, ringraziare, lasciare andare, sperare—marked the beginning of the gathering.
The sessions on the first day included The Role of Older People in the Church, Understanding the Ageing Process as a Gift or a Burden and Walking the Journey Between Hope and Challenges. The second day began with the session Spiritual Accompaniment with Older People, led by Brother David O’Leary. The formation programme continued, culminating in a visit to St Joseph’s Home, and will run until the end of the first two weeks. Many other activities are still planned as part of the seminar.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Tan Geraldine Swee Hoon, Provincial Superior of Singapore–Myanmar, and the Council, together with Law Christin Lai Tin, Provincial Superior of Malaysia, and all the Sisters who prepared and organised this seminar.