By Christina Bagaglio Slentz, PhD
“To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven.”
So the song goes! Pete Seeger wrote these lines to open The Byrds’ 1965 number-one hit, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, drawing almost entirely on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, a Scripture passage that contemplates the cycles and rhythms of life on earth.
Across cultures and over the course of history, humanity has celebrated seasons, echoing the patterns of change and transformation we observe in the gift of God’s creation. These timely markers, bearing the fingerprints of God, organize our lives and give us a sense of purpose and connectivity with each other and the cosmos.
In this light, we might understand the Season of Creation to be a celebration of the source of all earthly seasons. As St. Francis exclaims in his Canticle of the Creatures, “Praised be You, my Lord,” for certain!
Why do we celebrate the Season of Creation?
Within our Catholic tradition, our entire year is mapped out by liturgical seasons, inviting us to revisit and renew our commitment to various aspects of our faith. Similarly, during the Season of Creation, we take time to focus on our relationship with our Creator and all creation as God’s chosen stewards of this gift.
In 1989, Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I of the Eastern Orthodox Church first proclaimed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation. He aligned this day with the first day of the Orthodox liturgical year when this community traditionally commemorates God’s creation of the world. Gradually, the worldwide Christian community came to extend this celebration fittingly to Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of ecology. In 2015, Pope Francis officially welcomed the Season of Creation for the Roman Catholic Church — the same year he published his encyclical “Laudato Si” on the care of our common home.
Designating Sept. 1 as the Day of Prayer for Creation, Pope Francis writes:
“As Christians, we wish to contribute to resolving the ecological crisis which humanity is presently experiencing. In doing so, we must first rediscover in our own rich spiritual patrimony the deepest motivations for our concern for the care of creation. We need always to keep in mind that, for believers in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who became man for our sake, ‘the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us’ (‘Laudato Si,’ 216). The ecological crisis thus summons us to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to ‘an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them’ (‘Laudato Si,’ 217).”
How to celebrate Season of Creation 2024
The theme of this year’s celebration is “To Hope and Act with Creation,” which resounds the call of Pope Francis’ 2023 exhortation “Laudate Deum,” demanding our faith in action. To join in this effort:
- View the Vatican’s family-friendly film, “The Letter,” which offers a glimpse of today’s environmental crisis and its impact on four planetary “voices”— the poor, the indigenous, biodiversity, and the youth. It’s free on YouTube to watch at home or contact us to arrange a group screening.
- Each week, the diocese’s Creation Care Ministry will offer opportunities and activities to learn more about these four “voices.”
- Come to our Season of Creation Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy on Sept. 14, at 5 p.m., at St. Gregory the Great Parish. Bring your household, parish, or school “Laudato Si” action plan to care for creation over the coming year, and you will receive a special blessing to carry out your intentions. All are welcome! Register at bit.ly/SOC24MassRegistration.
- Enroll in the Vatican’s “Laudato Si” Action Platform! Learn more about how your household, parish or school can participate in the “Laudato Si” action plan by attending our Sept. 11 and 18 Zoom workshops.
- For children and youth: Grades 4-12 are invited to participate in our “For the Beauty of the Earth” Art Contest, offering cash prizes and the opportunity for all to show off their work at our Feast of St. Francis Trees, Peace & Goodness Festival on Oct. 6. Submissions are due Sept. 22 at 11:59 p.m.
- Plant a tree! Register for our Feast of St. Francis Tree Festival and take home a Coastal Live Oak. If you can’t make it, contact the Creation Care Ministry. Trees are available for households, parishes and schools.
- All Season of Creation events are listed at our diocesan creation care webpage at https://sdcatholic.org/care-for-creation-and-environmental-issues.
Creation is God’s gift to us; how we care for creation is our gift to God. Let us spend a little time this season to refresh and renew this relationship.
Season of Creation Event
- Sept. 14: Season of Creation Mass and “Laudato Si” Awards Ceremony
- Sept. 11 and 18: Eco-Citizenship and Spirituality Workshop (Live from the University of Notre Dame via Zoom)
- Sept. 21: St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish visit and free tour of the Barona Museum and Cultural Center
- Sept. 22: Children’s Art Contest and Creation Care Teen Applications due
- Sept. 26: Fragility of Wildlife Photography Presentation
- Oct. 6: Feast of St. Francis Tree Festival and Eco-Fair
Details on these and other events are available at sdcatholic.org/care-for-creation-and-environmental-issues.
