The Season of Creation ends but the journey continues…

The Season of Creation ends this Sunday on the October 4^th feast of St. Francis of Assisi. A Global Ecumenical Online Prayer Service will celebrate the Season of Creation as well as reflect with Christian leaders from around the world on next steps in caring for our common home. Find more information and register here for the prayer service on Sunday October 4^th at 10:00 am EDT.

During the Season of Creation the Vatican published the English translation of the new Catholic Church operational guidelines for implementing Laudato Si’. The guidelines, called Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home: Five Years After Laudato Si’, aim to inspire action in the Catholic Church and in the world. The guidelines emphasize “everything is connected” and have various sections including topics related to education and ecological conversion, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, ecosystems, finance and climate change. Each of the 24 sections has reflections, stories of good practices and pathways for action.  

On the October 4^th feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis will publish a new encyclical on human fraternity and social friendship. This Saturday he will travel to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy where he will celebrate mass and sign his new encyclical Fratelli Tutti.  The main theme of the encyclical is reported as “blessed is our common belonging” as brothers and sisters. It will likely build on the series of talks by Pope Francis during August and September on healing from the pandemic and socio-economic crisis and building a better world through solidarity, social justice and care for our common home.