What’s the Season of Creation?

“The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps 24:1-2).

From Sept. 1-Oct. 4, the Church will celebrate the “Season of Creation.” This is an exciting time for our Church and our parishes! It is an opportunity to deepen our awareness of the gifts of creation, and to praise and thank Creator for all that is.

A special website, http://seasonofcreation.org, notes: “The Season of Creation is an opportunity to worship the Creator and protect the good gift of creation. From mountain villages in Peru to bustling downtown streets in the Philippines, Christians of all denominations are uniting to pray and act for our common home.

“The Season of Creation begins on Sept. 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends on Oct. 4, the feast day of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology in many traditions. There is an urgent need to find solutions to the crisis facing our common home. Together, we are fulfilling our role as stewards of God’s creation.”

In support of the season, Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said: “As Pope Francis tells us in ‘Laudato Si’,’ [his encyclical on the environment,] ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.’

“As caretakers of God’s creation, we must choose between tending to its richness and neglecting it to impoverishment,” Cardinal Turkson added. “For the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters, our choices have profound implications. Let us embrace the Season of Creation in all its joy and depth, and fully enter into our role as caretakers of the Earth,  our common home.”

Many parishes, including some in the Albany Diocese, will hold prayer services and have special liturgies to celebrate the season. Pope Frances has called Catholics and all people to an ecological conversion, so this is a great time to examine our consciences in terms of our treatment of our planet. It challenges us to consider how our consumerism is devastating Earth and how it is destroying the lives of the poor.

The season helps us to connect ecumenically with Christians of all faith traditions, to partner with others in this “vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork.”

Pope Francis previously recognized the Day of Prayer for Creation, Sept. 1, and this year for the first time, there is an official statement of Vatican support for the Season of Creation itself. Also, the season renews our passion and resolve to act for the sake of Earth, her fragile eco-systems and our endangered brothers and sisters of every species.

At http://seasonofcreation.org, there are messages from Church leaders, including Pope Francis, and resources for prayer services, Prayers of the Faithful, homily suggestions, a eucharistic adoration service and more.

On Oct. 4, 11 a.m., the Sisters of St. Joseph will offer a prayer service in the chapel of St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham to culminate the celebration of the Season of Creation. Take the opportunity to pray and act as if we truly believe that the Earth is the Lord’s, and that we are called to be both good stewards and loving kin to the web of life.

(Sister Linda holds a master’s degree in Earth literacy and leads workshops and retreats on environmental issues. She also helps to staff St. Joseph’s Place, a drop-in center serving residents of Schenectady’s Hamilton Hill neighborhood.)