In order to better understand the Season of Creation 2022 and to live it from our faith and spirituality, both on a personal and fraternal level, five guiding questions are presented with their respective answers and resources.
- What is the Season of Creation?
“It is a special time for all Christians to pray and care for our common home together. Originally inspired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, this time is an opportunity to cultivate our ‘ecological conversion’, a conversion encouraged by St. John Paul II in response to the ‘ecological catastrophe’ announced by St. Paul VI as early as 1970” (Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2022).
It is therefore a Season that the Church, in ecumenical dialogue, offers to humanity to renew its relationship with the Creator and his creation through prayer, celebration, conversion and commitment.
- When does it begin and when does it end?
“The ecumenical period begins on 1 September with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and ends on 4 October with the feast of St. Francis” (Message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2022).
- How was the Season of Creation born?
The Laudato Si’ Movement states that “In 1989 Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitros I proclaimed 1 September as the Orthodox Day of Prayer for Creation.
Subsequently, the World Council of Churches (WCC) extended the celebration to 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi. In 2015, Pope Francis made the Season of Creation official for the Roman Catholic Church.
In this regard, Pope Francis said in 2015: ‘The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live. The celebration of this Day, on the same date as the Orthodox Church, will be a valuable opportunity to bear witness to our growing communion with our Orthodox brothers and sisters” (https://bit.ly/3B4lpAJ).
- What is the motto and symbol for this year?
The motto chosen for the Season of Creation 2022 is “Listen to the voice of Creation”. The accompanying symbol is that of the burning bush with the biblical quotation from Ex 3:1-12 which is summed up in the following sentence: “I have heard their cry…. I know your sufferings… Come, now! I will send you… I will be with you”.
- How to join this time?
To join the Season of Creation 2022, a celebration guide with a wide range of resources related to prayer and various sustainability projects, can be found at this link: https://bit.ly/3eaSO3R
Daniel Rodríguez, OFM
JPIC Office -Rome