Season of Creation: 1st September – 4th October 2022

The Season of Creation has a special significance for the Catholic Church, particularly since Pope Francis established 1 September as an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Season of Creation is marked throughout the Christian world from 1 September to 4 October (Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi) and celebrates the joy of creation as well as encouraging awareness-raising initiatives to protect the natural environment.

This year’s theme: Listen to the Voice of Creation
St. Augustine writes, “[Creation] is the divine page that you must listen to; it is the book of
the universe that you must observe.” The Psalmist (19: 1-4) acknowledges that hearing the
voice of creation requires a kind of listening that is increasingly rare. The Psalmist declares
that creation proclaims God’s handiwork and also knows that the book of Scripture perfectly
revives the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes (Ps 19:7-
8). The book of creation and the book of Scripture are meant to be read side by side.
Contemplation opens us to many modes of listening to the book of creation. The
harmonious balance of biodiversity and the suffering cries of creation are both echoes of
the Divine because all creatures have the same origin and ending in God. Listening to the
voices of our co-creatures is like perceiving truth, goodness or beauty and helps us become
aware of the Trinity, in which creation lives, moves and has its being.
During the Season of Creation, our prayer and action can help us listen for the voices of
those who are silenced. We lament the individuals, communities, species, and ecosystems
who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate
change. In prayer we centre the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. Communities of
worship can amplify the voices of young people, Indigenous people, women and affected
communities who are not heard in society. Through liturgies, public prayers, symbolic acts
and advocacy, we can remember those who are displaced or have disappeared from public
spaces and political processes. By listening to the voice of all creation, humans join in our
vocation to care for our common home (oikos).