From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world will engage in personal reflection, community sharing and more concrete actions with others to help to fight against the destruction of God’s Creation.

History of the ecumenical Season of Creation

In 1989, the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I. declared the first of September  as  the Day of Prayer for the Environment. In 2018, the Central Committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches invited all member churches to celebrate “the Season of Creation” through prayers and actions. In 2015, Pope Francis declared Sept. 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation for the Catholic Church as well. Over the years, major Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Anglican organisations have joined together to encourage the world’s 2.2 billion Christians to pray and join together in concrete actions for the environment during the five weeks leading up to the Feast of Francis of Assisi on October 4th.

The theme of the Season of Creation  2022: “Hear the Voice of Creation”.

The Covid pandemic has pushed many important issues into the background. The theme of Creation Time 2022, wants to raise our awareness to the need of  listening to the voice of creation. The psalmist declares, “The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament announces the work of his hands…”
(Ps 19:1-4) Creation never stops proclaiming God’s glory, but are we listening? During the Season of  creation, our common prayer and action can help us listen to the voices of those who are silenced.

The logo of Creation Time 2022: The Burning Bush.

We invite you to use the symbol of the burning bush at your events. Today’s widespread uncontrollable fires are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change is having on the most vulnerable on our planet. Creation cries out when forests burn, animals flee, and people are forced to leave their homes.

The fire that caught Moses’ attention when he was tending the flock on Mount Horeb was very different . It did not consume or destroy the bush. This flame of the Spirit revealed the presence of God. This holy fire confirmed that God heard the cries of all who suffer and promised to be with them. In this Season of Creation, this symbol of God’s Spirit calls us to listen to and faithfully follow the voice of creation. As you celebrate this season of creation, light candles, light the Easter fire, decorate a bush in your place of worship. May this symbol remind us to take off our sandals, contemplate our connection to sacred ground, listen to the voice of creation, and be filled with the hope of quenching injustice with the light of God’s healing love.  We will offer weekly meditations with thoughts on the Sunday Gospels for personal reflection, communal sharing and enrichment of the liturgy.

May this Season of Creation 2022 renew our ecumenical unity! And may this season of prayer and action be a time when we listen to the voice of creation.

Wolfgang Schonecke

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