With just a few days to go before the Season of Creation begins, dioceses, parishes, and Christian communities around the world already have access to a wide range of resources to prepare for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, celebrated every year on September 1, as well as for the entire season dedicated to the care of our Common Home. The website WorldDayCreation.com, developed by continental episcopal bodies and various ecclesial networks, brings together in one place liturgical texts, pastoral materials, and formation resources to help communities celebrate this season. The materials are available in Spanish, English, Italian, French, and Portuguese.
One of the most noteworthy resources is the complete Mass formulary for the Care of Creation. This document, which includes the corresponding liturgical prayers and biblical readings, was incorporated into the Roman Missal last year and, for the first time, makes it possible to commemorate the September 1 observance using a formulary specifically dedicated to the care of creation. Following the warm reception it received during its first celebrations in 2025, the formulary is now being translated into the various languages of numerous episcopal conferences.
Alongside the liturgical formulary, the website also offers pastoral resources designed to facilitate preparation in each parish, including suggested hymns, homily ideas, prayers of the faithful, and ideas for activities to organize after Mass. These are complemented by formation materials for priests, diocesan leaders, and parish teams, covering the history of the World Day, its theological and pastoral significance, and practical aspects of the new formulary and lectionary.
This year’s preparations are also accompanied by the message published by Pope Leo XIV for the 11th World Day, entitled “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4). In the text, he links armed conflicts with the environmental crisis and calls for a personal and collective conversion capable of sustaining both peace and the care of creation.
From the Eastern Church to the Universal Church
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, instituted for the Catholic Church by Pope Francis in 2015, draws inspiration from an ancient liturgical tradition of the Eastern Church, which associates this date with the symbolism of God’s act of creation. The observance had previously been embraced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other Christian Churches, as well as by various continental episcopal conferences since the late 1990s. Its celebration marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, which continues until October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
For those who wish to use these five weeks to go beyond the liturgical celebration and deepen the spiritual roots of this commitment, OFM JPIC offers the free course Integral Ecology: Franciscan Roots of Laudato Si’. This complementary resource explores, over eleven modules, the relationship between Christian faith, Franciscan thought, and care for our Common Home. It is especially intended for pastoral workers, religious men and women, educators, students of theology or environmental sciences, and, more broadly, anyone who wishes to live out their ecological commitment on a solid foundation of faith and Franciscan thought. You can access it free of charge by registering on our website before or during the Season of Creation.
