Canadian Catholic bishops call on the faithful to participate in prayer, reflection, and action in care of God’s creation
In a message echoing Pope Francis, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops expresses the hope that this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will inspire a renewed commitment among all Catholics to protect the environment and promote sustainable practices in their daily lives.
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops media release
[Ottawa] – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) invites all Catholic faithful to join in the global celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation that will take place Sept. 1, 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 for the day of prayer, highlighting our responsibility as stewards of creation and our call to safeguard the environment for future generations.
The CCCB has encouraged dioceses, parishes, and Catholic organizations to organize special liturgies, prayer services, and educational initiatives to mark this important day. This is a time to reflect on our role in God’s creation, to seek forgiveness for the ways we have harmed the earth, and to commit ourselves to actions that promote ecological justice.
“We are called to an ecological conversion, to care for our environment as an expression of our love for God and our neighbors,” said Calgary Bishop William T. McGrattan, CCCB President. “On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, let us come together in solidarity with all people of goodwill to pray, reflect, and act for the protection of our planet.”
The Earth is ‘sick,’ in need of prayers and action, pope says
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
[Vatican City – CNS] – The Earth is ailing, and it needs the prayers of Catholics as well as their personal commitment to caring for creation, Pope Francis said.
“Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit,” the pope said in a video message released Aug. 30 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
The network posts a short video of the pope offering his specific prayer intention each month, and members of the network pray for that intention each day. Pope Francis’ intention for September is: “For the cry of the Earth,” which coincides with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Sept. 1 and its inauguration of the month-long “Season of Creation.”
“If we took the planet’s temperature, it would tell us that the Earth has a fever,” the pope said in the video. “And it is sick, just like anyone who’s sick. But are we listening to this pain? Do we hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes?”
The first victims and those who suffer most, he said, are “the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of floods, heat waves or drought.”
To fight poverty and protect nature at the same time, people must change their personal habits, the pope said; but because climate change, pollution and the loss of biodiversity are “caused by humans,” social, economic and political responses also are necessary.
© OSV News / Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. 2024 – from CNS Vatican bureau, used with permission
Video from Pope Francis “For the cry of the Earth”
Video featuring text from Pope Francis’ message for Sept. 1:
Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of Prayer for Creation 2024 – ENGLISH / FRENCH
In preparation for the special day of prayer, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has published a video and resources, including Pope Francis’ message, an infographic (above), press releases, and a pastoral kit on its website: LINK.
Monthly prayer from the pastoral kit:
Good Father, the cry of the earth
strikes in the Heart of your Son Jesus,
and cries out to us “I want mercy and not sacrifices”.
Our Common Home implores us
a bold and radical change in our way of life.
We need courage, and a holy indignation
to commit ourselves to a cultural change
that welcomes the cry of the earth and the poor.
We need the fire of your Holy Spirit
to burn in our hearts,
to contemplate and give thanks,
to welcome and to care,
so that we may all feel as one in you.
May our gestures of love and care
for everyone and everything, rise up to You
as a universal prayer of adoration,
Of thanksgiving and forgiveness.
May our daily living reflect a temperate, and modest lifestyle
that moderates how excessively greedy we tend to be with the world and each other.
May we embrace this cry for help
transforming it with our decisions
into a loving and consoling melody.
Amen.
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