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Show Mercy to Our Common Home
Pope Francis established 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging the Catholic community around the world to pray for our common home. This day also marks the beginning of the Season of Creation which runs right through September and into October, concluding on 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology and animals.
Mercy is at the heart of the Season of Creation
In his early messages marking the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the Holy Father focused a lot on the theme of mercy. He asked that all ‘show mercy to our common home’. He asked that teach of us dedicate our personal vocation to be “stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” (WDPCC 2016).
Theme for Season of Creation 2024
The World Day and the Season of Creation are inspired by Pope Francis' landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our shared Earth.
The theme for 2024 is "Hope and Act with Creation" which draws its inspiration from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:19-25).
In his message for the World Day of Prayer 2024, Pope Francis reminds us how the Holy Spirit "keeps the believing community alert and calls it to conversion in lifestyles, to resist human degradation of the environment."
The Holy Father calls us, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to seek to live "a life that becomes a song of love for God, for humanity, with and for creation, and that finds its fullness in holiness."
Resources
There are a wealth of resources available for the Season of Creation.
- Season of Creation Prayer
- Video of Season of Creation Prayer
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO1bh0U-IeA
For more resources see the official website for the Season of Creation https://seasonofcreation.org/
We would love to share your Mercy Resources for the Season of Creation so please send them on to us by email: mercyenews@mercyinternational.ie
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