Season of Creation

The Season of Creation begins on September 1, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

This is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion and commitment together.

History: The idea of celebrating 1 September as a day of prayer for creation began at the wish of the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios (Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome) in 1989. It was embraced by other major Christian Europeon churches in 2001, and was endorsed by Pope Francis in 2015.

Learn more about the September 1st Feast of Creation.

We join with the other Christian churches around the world in keeping the Season of Creation each year. The theme for Season of Creation this year is Peace with Creation.

The Biblical text for this year is Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah pictured the desolated Creation without peace because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. This description of devastated cities and wastelands eloquently stresses the fact that human destructive behaviors have a negative impact on the Earth.

Our hope: Creation will find peace when justice is restored. There is still hope and the expectation for a peaceful Earth. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but to act, pray, change, and reconcile with Creation and the Creator in unity, metanoia (repentance), and solidarity. 

Laudato Si: OnCare For Our Common Home 

The encyclical, Laudato Si was published in 2015. In it Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility.