The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has sent a letter to priests all around the world inviting them to prepare for the Time of Creation, a global ecumenical initiative of prayer and action to protect our common home.
The letter encourages priests to celebrate the Time of Creation and includes an invitation from the Dicastery, the World Catholic Movement for Climate and the Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network, to Catholic communities, with ideas for celebration, such as the incorporation of the care of creation in the liturgy, pastoral formation that promotes integral ecology, and participation in mobilization.
During the Time of Creation (September 1 to October 4, 2019), Christians from the six continents will work to put Laudato si’ into practice. They will participate in community events to deepen their love for the Creator, for creation and for others. The events will vary according to each community, from worship services and prayer to picking up trash or actions asking for changes in policies to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
These celebrations will be integrated into the annual calendar of parishes and dioceses around the world. Many parishes are planning their events now, and the letter to parish priests and the invitation to Catholic communities are intended to encourage them to organize events. More information about the events can be found on the Time of Creation website, SeasonofCreation.org.
An ecumenical steering committee will suggest a theme for each year’s celebration. The theme for 2019 is “The Network of Life”, a theme that reflects both our role as stewards of creation, and the urgent need to protect the rich tapestry of biodiversity woven by the Creator. The loss of species is accelerating, and a recent report by the United Nations estimates that our way of life threatens the extinction of a million species. That is, approximately one in every nine species on Earth.
The invitation to Catholic communities describes in more detail the connection between this theme and the next Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, which will focus on the application of an integral ecology. The synod begins on October 6, just after the end of the Time of Creation.
