“Celebrating Creation” Prayer Beads

St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish

Earth Care Ministry, Troy, MI

The Earth Care ministry of St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish designed “Celebrating Creation” prayer beads to encourage its members “to give glory and praise to our God, who made the heavens and the earth.”

Each of the clay beads, full of color and light, was hand made by a member of the earth care ministry before being strung together like a bracelet and assembled in a small pouch.  Prayer suggestions and a poem are included with each set of beads, which are used as a reminder to act and pray on behalf of creation; as a tool in prayerful meditation, walking, or sitting in nature; and as a way to connect environmental concerns with justice, peace, and nonviolence throughout all creation.

Sample meditations included with the beads guide individuals and groups to focus their prayer in three areas:

1. gratitude for the gifts of the Earth, and the precious gift of life,
2. a form of destruction that is occurring, such as clear-cutting of forests, species extinction, toxic chemical pollution, global warming, etc., and ways to promote the healing of the earth such as advocacy, recycling, carpooling, land restoration, etc.

The beads have been instrumental in helping members of the community gain a deeper sense of oneness with all of creation, and integrate their prayer lives with action to protect and restore creation. The Earth Care Ministry has sold over 200 sets of the prayer beads since April 2004. They are available online.