World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (September 1st)
Date posted on August 27, 2024
The global celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation take places on the 1st of September, 2024. This day calls on all of us to unite in prayer, reflection, and action for the protection and preservation of our common home.
This year’s theme, “Hope and Act with Creation,” draws inspiration from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:19-25), emphasizing the hope that stems from our faith and the active role we must play in caring for the world around us. The theme resonates with Pope Francis’ message, highlighting our responsibility as stewards of creation and our call to safeguard the environment for future generations.
We encourage you to join the Global Online Prayer Service, which takes place at 9:00 am EST on September 1st.
"Faith is a gift, the fruit of the Spirit’s presence in us, but it is also a task to be undertaken freely, in obedience to Jesus’ commandment of love. Such is the blessed hope to which we must bear witness. Yet where, when, and how are we to bear that witness? Surely by caring for the flesh of suffering humanity. As people who dare to dream, we must dream with our eyes wide open, impelled by a desire for love, fraternity, friendship and justice for all. Christian salvation enters into the depths of the world’s suffering, which embraces not only humanity but also the entire universe, nature itself, and the oikos, the home and living environment of humanity. Salvation embraces creation as an “earthly paradise,” mother earth, which is meant to be a place of joy and a promise of happiness for all."
To Hope and Act with Creation
“Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created.”