2019 Season of Creation 1 September- 4 October.

The 2019 Season of Creation began Sunday, 1 September and runs through to October 4th, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. According to Pope Francis, this “is a time conducive to the praise of God for all his creatures and the assumption of responsibility in the face of the cry of the Earth.”

In his greetings following the recitation of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope told the faithful gathered that the Season of Creation is “an ecumenical prayer, which raises the awareness and commitment to protect our common home, starting from a more sustainable personal and family lifestyle.”

Mindful of the Push and Pull factors conducive to people being vulnerable to Human Trafficking and Exploitation, climate change is impacting on millions who have to try to leave their native homes in order to earn income to sustain families no longer able to live and/or work in their region due to drought, flooding, monsoons, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events.

The impacts of climate change affect every country on every continent. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires and droughts threaten the world’s food supply, drive people from their homes, separate families and jeopardise livelihoods. All of these increase the risk of conflict, hunger and poverty.

Visible evidence and climbing numbers demonstrate that climate change is not a distant or imaginary threat, but rather, a growing and undeniable reality.

* Download resources to observe the Season of Creation or Creation Time 2019. The following are links to materials produced by the churches and other groups.

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation website details activities and resources to celebrate the Season of Creation around the globe and is supported by an ecumenical steering committee and a coalition of partners, including the Act Alliance, Anglican Communion Environmental Network, A Rocha International, Christian Aid, Church of England Environment Programme, Conference of European Churches, Eco-Congregation Scotland, European Christian Environmental Network, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, the Lutheran World Federation, Operation Noah, Trocaire, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

You can download the Season of Creation celebration Guide (from the Season of Creation website). The website also lists denominational resources and those for youth and clergy.

Season of Creation celebration guide (PDF)

Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Resources for the Season of Creation 2019 come from the Laudato Si Working Group and include:

  • An introduction to the Season of Creation and a Prayer Service for 1 September 2019.
  • Resources for the Sundays between 1 September and 4 October 2019, including a Penitential Service, Homily Notes, Prayer of the Faithful, a post-Communion Reflection, and some words for use at the Dismissal at the end of Mass.
  • Resources for the Feast of Saint Francis on 4 October 2019.
  • An outline of practical actions that parishioners might take during the Season of Creation.
  • Trócaire Blessing of the Land resource for Creation Time 2019.

They can be downloaded from the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference website.

Eco-Congregation Scotland.

Eco-Congregation Scotland has produced a set of five weekly resources, produced by a group of writers drawn from a variety of church backgrounds and pastoral contexts. The resources offer reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary Readings appointed for these weeks, set against the backdrop of the extreme urgency of the climate crisis.

They can be downloaded from the Eco-Congregation Scotland website, which includes more details on this year’s theme.

Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Recommended resources for Catholics are:

  • A Catholic Season of Creation produced by St Columbans Mission Society
  • Our Common Home: Creation Celebration Organisers’ Guide from CAFOD

Details can be found on the Catholic Church in England and Wales website.

Council of Churches in Germany.

The Council of Churches in Germany has produced an order of service for the Ecumenical Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2019 on the theme of ‘Salt of the earth’.

Order of service for Ecumenical Day of Prayer for Care of Creation 2019 (English, PDF)

 

 

Sources: CTBI Registered Charity ( Churches Together in Britain and Ireland).

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