In 2015, Pope Francis called on Catholics to join with other Christians to formally mark September 1st as the annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and to celebrate the Season of Creation (Starting with the World Day of Prayer on Sept 1st and concluding on Oct. 4th with the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi).
To help you and your community pray and act on behalf of God’s creation, we have compiled some helpful resources and ideas for the World Day of Prayer and the Season of Creation.
In this email, you will also find information on the ongoing Catholics Are Still In campaign and resources to help you calculate the carbon footprint of your home and your parish/school.
Blessings,
Paz
How will you take action?
Reflect
Creation Prayer
Jesus Christ, teach us to empathize with the Earth.
Make our spirits sensitive to the cries of creation,
cries for justice from the land, the seas and the skies.
Jesus Christ, make our faith sensitive to the groans of the Spirit in creation, groans of longing for a new creation.
Jesus Christ, make our hearts sensitive to the songs of our kin, songs of celebration from the sea, the forest and the air.
(From Planet Earth Sunday, Season of Creation 2018-Australian Version)
Act Together
Ten Minutes
Sign Catholic Climate Declaration (CCD): We are now accepting individual signatures on the Catholic Climate Declaration. Please make sure you sign and share the link with friends and family. Include information about the Catholics Are Still In campaign in your parish bulletin or school newsletter and ask others to sign-on!
Has your Catholic leader signed the CCD? You can check here if they have signed. Resources are available at that link to help you make the ask of your institution’s leadership. Please note: Institutions signing by September 1, 2018 will be included in the presentation of Catholics Are Still In at the Global Climate Action Summit. We are hoping to have at least 1,000 institutional signatures to present at the Summit. Signatures are also welcome after September 1st, in recognition that some institutions have formal decision-making processes occurring after this date.
A good resource to learn more about the CCD and next steps is this webinar: From Declaration to Action: Next Steps for Living the Catholic Climate Declaration.We will present all signatures (Institutional and individual) at the Global Climate Summit.
Half Day
World Day of Prayer for Creation and Season of Creation
Organize a creation liturgy in your parish, school, or religious community to celebrate the World Day of Prayer. Check out the following resources to help you plan a celebration for the World Day of Prayer and Season of Creation:
• Catholic Climate Covenant worship and prayer resources.
• The Global Catholic Climate Movement is one of the key organizers of the Season of Creation. They have a wonderful website (www.seasonofcreation.org) full of resources and ideas for how to organize an event. Be sure to register your event! You can also check to see if there are events already planned in your area. A great worship resource is available to help you host an ecumenical prayer service. See a prayer service guide here.
Other prayer resources:
CAFOD: A great list pf prayer resources, including as prayer vigil for the care of creation.
An Environmental Liturgy – A Liturgy on the environment to celebrate Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ in your school and parish. (From Jesuit Communications Australia)
Guided Rosary on Caring for Creation – A Guided Rosary with emphasis on care for creation in light of Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si”. (From Franciscan Action Network)
Ecumenical Celebration – An Ecumenical (Christian) Prayer for the Environment (From Franciscans for Ecology)
A Prayer Service proposed for a Holy Hour or Benediction on the Second World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Prepared by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace)
Other ideas:
• Get together with others in your church and reflect on the themes of Laudato Si'. Use the Laudato Si’ resources found here.
• Hold an event at some time during Creation Time (September 1 - October 4). The Global Catholic Climate Movement suggests the following:
a) March for the climate on September 8. Your march will join others around the world to support ambition at the Global Climate Action Summit, which Pope Francis mentioned in his address. The summit will gather leaders from businesses, local governments, and civil society. Learn more in this video about the September 8 march and Pope Francis’ support for action.
b) Clean waterways in your community. International Coastal Cleanup Day is September 15, but a clean-up is welcome any time in the season. Whether you live on the ocean or along a lake, river, or other body of water, aquatic creatures depend on you to remove the trash that accumulates in their habitat. Learn more about the International Coastal Cleanup here.
• Feast of St. Francis: Mark the end of the Season of Creation by hosting a Feast of St. Francis educational event and/or a Blessing of the Animals. This year’s Feast of St. Francis theme is “Who Is My Neighbor in a Climate Threatened World”. The theme for this year’s Season of Creation is “Walking Together”. As part of the Feast of St. Francis celebration (or another time of the Season) we also invite you to organize a “walk”/pilgrimage for creation and for migrants/refugees and link it to the Share the Journey campaign.
Ongoing
Carbon Footprint Calculators are a great way to get your community thinking pf their impact on creation.
For Home:
• Interfaith Power and Light Cool Congregations' Carbon Footprint Calculator for Households helps you to calculate your carbon footprint and to take steps to improve it. Cool Congregations' 25 simple steps under $25 suggests that one of the best ways to share the idea of carbon neutral with others at your church is to take steps in your own home and life to decrease your family's carbon emissions. Share these tips with your faith community.
• The US Department of Energy's Home Energy Saver Calculator empowers homeowners and renters to save money, live better, and help the earth by reducing home energy use. It includes recommendations on energy-saving upgrades that are appropriate to the home based on climate and local energy prices.
• Energy Star's Energy Assessment for individual homes takes into account your actual utility bills.
• The Earth Day Carbon Footprint Calculator for individuals uses interactive questions about lifestyle rather than utility bills to calculate your carbon footprint.
Carbon Footprint Calculators for Church Buildings:
• Interfaith Power and Light’s Cool Congregations Calculator for church buildings.
• Energy Star Portfolio Manager
• EPA's Target Finder Calculator