Burkina Faso (Vice Province of Africa), 10/06/2024, Sr. Nicole Kabore, JPIC delegate.- The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all of Creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment. It is celebrated every year from September 1 to October 4. This annual ecumenical period invites us to pray and act together as a Christian family for our common home. The 2.2 billion Christians around the world are called to pray and care for Creation during this time.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, under the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I, proclaimed September 1 as the day of prayer for Creation in 1989. October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, marks the final day of the Season of Creation, honoring St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology.
The theme of this year's Season of Creation is "Hope and Act with Creation" and the symbol is "The First Fruits of Hope" inspired by Romans 8:19-25. What has been good in God's eyes since Creation (cf. Genesis 1) has become the object of exploitation and experimentation at human hands. Our planet now seems to be turning into a vast rubbish dump.
Like Blessed Marie Poussepin, who was dedicated to uplifting people from poverty in its many forms, in Burkina Faso, we pursue this ideal by instilling in children and young people a sense of respect and responsibility for the environment. We encourage them to commit to safeguarding our common home and nurturing a love of Creation.
This is accomplished in several ways:
- Raising Awareness: We encourage young people to work together to improve their surroundings.
- Concrete Actions: They are involved in practical efforts, such as disposing of waste properly, conserving water, reforesting, and caring for plants.
- Building Relationships: They are learning to develop a strong relationship with God, with others, and with the beauty of Creation, so they can become leaders in the near and distant future.
The Season of Creation brings the global Christian family together around a shared purpose. Just as faith without works is dead (James 2:26), so too is hope without action meaningless. In this way, we acknowledge and mourn our sense of despair, hold fast to our faith and hope, and commit to acting with Creation for the renewal of life.
As an ecumenical network, we are inspired by the urgent call of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, which advocates for "a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet" and emphasizes that "we require a new and universal solidarity" where the most vulnerable are supported to live with dignity.
Education has always been, and will always be, an exercise of charity—a mission and service inspired by our Charism: love for our brothers and sisters, as well as for Creation. This is indeed listening and responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
SOEUR ODETTE OUATT