Season of Creation

Each year since 1989 from September 1 to October 4 (feast of St. Francis), people of faith unite for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home.  We share a common role as caretakers of God's creation.  We see that our well-being is interwoven with its well-being. We rejoice in this opportunity to care for our common home and the sisters and brothers who share it.

The theme for 2024 is

To hope and act with Creation

In the letter of Paul the apostle to the Romans, the biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother, groaning as in childbirth (Rom 8:22). Francis of Assisi understood this when he referred to the Earth as our sister and our mother in his Canticle of Creatures. The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource to be used.

And yet, there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life springs forth.

To celebrate the season, the Care for Creation Ministry of Holy Rosary and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes invites you to pray a Novena that focuses on prayer at nine special places in West Seattle that inspire thankfulness for all of God's creation. You can pray at each designated location on successive days, or you can think of those locations as you pray at home.  

CLICK HERE for the novena.