October 4th - Fifth Sunday in Creation Time
‘Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us.’
Laudato Si 223
Sept 27th - Fourth Sunday in Creation Time
‘Once we start to think of the world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realise that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others….we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit.’
Laudato Si 159
Sept 20th - Third Sunday in Creation Time
‘Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fulness.’
Laudato Si 53
Sept 13th - Second Sunday in Creation Time
‘If we scan the regions of our planet, we immediately see that humanity has disappointed God’s expectations.’
Laudato Si 61
Sept 6th - First Sunday in Creation Time
'The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.’
Laudato Si 84
Choice of quotes assisted by: ‘Excerpts from Laudato Si’ CAFOD (2016)
Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
Pope Francis established 1st 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.
The theme that Pope Leo XIV has chosen for 2026 is taken from Isaiah 2:4, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks” Pope Leo highlights the links between armed conflict, environmental destruction, and human suffering. War, he argues, creates a “vicious cycle, which destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources, such as air and water, and undermines food security. This fuels poverty, inequality, and new social tensions that can contribute to the emergence of further conflicts”.
THE WORD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION September 1st
“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4) is the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the day. This highlights the connection between armed conflict and environmental degradation. Such degradation constitutes both a serious violation of our duty to care for creation, as well as a long-term threat to the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully. The title — a passage in which Isaiah prophesies the transformation of weapons into agricultural tools — is an explicit invitation to prioritize development and sustainability over violence and destruction.
Following from this special day THE SEASON OF CREATION has developed into an extended month of ecumenical observances until Sunday October 4th The Feast of St Francis of Assisi which this year marks 800 years since St Francis died.
The Biblical text for the Season of Creation this year is drawn from Ezekiel 47: 1- 12, which portrays God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. The river grows deeper and deeper restoring barren land, reviving waters, and sustaining flourishing ecosystems. The vision invites human responsibility. Recognising ecological damage, embracing interconnectedness, we are called to immerse ourselves in the water, and actively to safeguard and work for the renewal of creation so that environmental healing and human well-being may flourish together. The symbol also encourages us to immerse ourselves in the tears of creation, that is to allow our hearts to be touched by those suffering particularly from environmental degradation, as well as the suffering of all creation.
(Extract from 'Mouth Peace' the NATIONAL JUSTICE AND PEACE NETWORK newsletter, Autumn 2026)