for humanity,
with and for creation,
and find their fullness in holiness.
The Season of Creation opens with a World Day of Prayer on 1 September and concludes on the feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4 October. This year marks the 35th anniversary of this ecumenical movement of prayer and ecological action. Pope Francis has released a short message on the theme of this year’s celebration, Hope and Act with Creation (view here).
Pope Francis revisits the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. This Season of Creation, he believes, is an opportunity for all people to reinvigorate their hope into a living hope. On behalf of suffering peoples and Earth, he asks us to dare to dream and act for a better future for all. Pope Francis writes, “To hope and act with creation, then, means above all to join forces and to walk together with all men and women of good will. In this way, we can help to rethink, among other things, the question of human power, its meaning and its limits.” (Pope Francis, 2024, para. 6)
A prime area action adopted by the global ecumenical community this Season of Creation concerns advocacy and participation in campaigns to reduce fossil fuel use. The date, 21 September, has been named as a day of international advocacy action.
The Season of Creation website includes a resource tab with downloadable materials for individuals, groups, Church gatherings and liturgical celebrations. View here.
The following prayer, Thanksgiving for the Earth, can be found on page 35 in the Season of Creation online Celebration Guide. View the guide here.
Thanksgiving for the Earth
God of Holy Dreaming, great Creator Spirit, from the dawn of Creation you have
given your children the good things of our mothering Earth.
You spoke and the gum tree grew.
In the vast desert and the dense forest, and in the cities and at the water’s
edge, Creation sings your praise.
Your presence endures at the rock at the heart of our land.
When Jesus hung on the tree you heard the cries of all your people and became
one with your wounded ones: the convicts, the hunted, the dispossessed.
The sunrise of your Son colored the Earth anew and bathed it in glorious hope.
In Jesus, we have been reconciled to you, to each other and to your whole
Creation.
Lead us on, Great Spirit, as we gather from the four corners of the Earth; enable
us to walk together in trust from the hurt and shame of the past into the full day
that has dawned in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Liturgical Resources
Sr Mary-Ann Casanova PhD
Project Officer – Josephite Explore~Embrace~Embody Laudato Si’ Action Plan
[1] Pope Francis, 2024. Hope and Act with Creation. The Holy See. www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/cura-creato/documents/20240627-messaggio-giornata-curacreato.pdf