Creation is crying out to us all. In just the past few months we’ve witnessed unprecedented wildfires in Canada, floods in the northeast United States, and record-breaking heat waves throughout the world. As we approach the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, this season calls us – and all persons of faith to embrace our role as stewards of the Earth and all God’s creation. 

The Season of Creation from September 1 – October 4 invites more than 2 billion Christians around the world to come together to renew our relationship with God and all creation, and commit ourselves to go forward in hope to care for our common home. The seeds for the Season of Creation were planted in 1980 when Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed September 1 as a day of prayer for creation for the Eastern Orthodox Christians. Seeking to unite Christians, the World Council of Churches later expanded the day into a special month-long observation concluding on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s observation of the season official in 2015, the same year Laudato Si’ was published. 

As Franciscans, the Season of Creation is an opportunity to embrace our mission to care for our common home. The Catholic Church’s observation recommends contemplative prayer, reflection and action where the faithful are encouraged to:

• Reaffirm our personal vocation to be stewards of creation. This includes reflecting on our daily habits and relationship with creation, learning more about environmental concerns and related injustices, and discerning what actions we can take to better care for the earth and each other.
• Thank God for all Creation. Striving to truly see God in all creation, we are grateful for the beauty, wonder and life that surround us. 
• Ask God for guidance and help in the care of creation. We are also called to examine our conscience and seek pardon for the sins committed against creation. 

("Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Establishment of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation,” 2015 & United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2017)

 "Let Justice and Peace Flow," is the theme for Season of Creation 2023 calling us to be instruments of peace and care for the most vulnerable persons among us. The cries of creation include persons experiencing poverty, famine, war, displacement, diseases, and other hardships often intensified - or directly related to - rising temperatures, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, pollution and other environmental suffering. Our response must go beyond ecology and address issues of injustice.

During this year’s Season of Creation, each Wednesday in September, you will receive a special e-mail from our Sisters that will include a reflection and resources inviting you to join us as we confidently, joyfully, go forward on our Franciscan journey and care for our common home. 

For more information on the Season of Creation, please visit: seasonofcreation.org