The Feast of St. Francis in the Vatican Gardens

A celebration of The Season of Creation, and the Dedication of the Synod to St. Francis

October 4^th  2019 at 12.30 am |  Vatican Gardens

 “Saint Francis is the example par excellence of an integral ecology”
(Laudato Si, 10)

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DATE

This year’s Feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4^th) has extra significance because it coincides with a number of important events and anniversaries:

•  It takes place only two days before the Synod on the Amazon — the first ever synod on the theme of integral ecology.
•  The feast of St. Francis marked the conclusion of The Season of Creation, the annual celebration that takes place between September 1^st and October 4^th. This year was the first time that it was officially proclaimed by Pope Francis for the Catholic Church.
•  The Feast of St. Francis falls shortly before the 40^th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s proclamation of St. Francis as patron saint of ecology (November 29^th, 1979).

THE EVENT

Pope Francis will host a celebration in the Vatican Gardens during which an oak tree from Assisi will be planted, as a visible sign of integral ecology.  The event will see the participation of indigenous leaders and Church leaders, sending a powerful message to the world about the Church’s commitment to the care of our common home.

This celebration and the symbolic planting of a tree in a garden that is at the heart of the universal Church will be an opportunity to:

 1. communicate the importance of The Season of Creation — this is the first public symbolic action by Pope Francis following his recent invitation to the World Church to celebrate this “season of increased prayer and effort on behalf of our common home”.

2. communicate the importance of the Synod on the Amazon, as well as proposing  St. Francis as a model and guide for the synodal process.  With this in mind, the event will include a prayer of dedication of the Synod to the intercession of St. Francis, praying that the Synod will be a fruitful step in the discernment of new paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology in this critical region of the world.

ORGANISATIONS PROMOTING THE EVENT

• The Order of Friars Minor
• The Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM)
• REPAM

Contacts:

Cecilia Dall’Oglio, GCCM: +39 333 127 1680 / cecilia@CatholicClimateMovement.global

Antonio Caschetto, GCCM: +39 338 369 5852 / antonio@CatholicClimateMovement.global