In 2015 Pope Francis declared September 1 as a Day of Prayer for Care of Creation. In designating this day the Pope invites Catholics all over the world to be mindful of the responsibility we have to care for our common home. In his letter establishing the day in 2015 he wrote: “ For ‘living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience’ (Laudato Si’, 217)”
September 1 opens what has now become the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to listen and care for our common home. The Season “Celebration” begins September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. For more information and resources on the Season of Creation visit: seasonofcreation.org
Each year the Holy Father writes a message to the faithful for to bring to mind the significance of praying and caring for creation. In his 2023 message from Pope Francis invites us to “the renewal of our relationship with creation so that we no longer see it as an object to be exploited but cherish it instead as a sacred gift from our Creator.” To read the full text of the message click here or search for the message at www.vatican.va
