Season of Creation 2022 launch

• The theme for 2022 is, Listen to the Voice of Creation.
• The launch event will be held on Wednesday, February 23rd at 3 pm (Rome time).

Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with the Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment. During the Season of Creation, September 1 – October 4, we join our sisters and brothers of the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.

Next Wednesday, February 23 at 9:00 am New York / 3:00 pm Rome / 10:00 pm Manila, the launch event of the Season of Creation 2022 will take place, with the participation of leaders of the different Ecumenical Churches, broadcasted in this YouTube channel.

The encounter will feature panelists who will speak about silenced voices, in terms of biodiverse species (and lost species) and the Earth, the people whose voices and knowledge are silenced in public discourse, and the importance of contemplating and listening to nature.

Dr. Celia Deanne Drummond, Director of the Laudato Si’ Research Institute and Senior Research Fellow in theology at Campion Hall, University of Oxford, Ms. Isabell Retamoza, National Association of Women Lawyers; and Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam is Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology and Creation” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will participate in the event.

In 2021, thousands of people around the world celebrated hundreds of events together with their communities, numerous “Abraham tents” were built on six continents, as a symbol of the theme that guided the celebration. 

At the closing of the Season, on October 4, 2021, Pope Francis met at the Vatican with religious leaders at the “Faith and Science” meeting, and there he offered three concepts for reflection: “The gaze of interdependence and sharing, the engine of love and the vocation to respect”.

“Listen to the Voice of Creation” is the theme that will summon hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have become familiar with the concept of being muted in conversations. If we talk about the climate crisis, many voices are also silenced, from the voices of scientists and experts to those of endangered species diversity.

The Psalmist declares, “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge…their voice is not heard, yet their voice goes out through all the Earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (19: 1-4) Creation never ceases to proclaim, but do we listen?

The symbol chosen for this year is the burning bush, which contrasts the fire of so many unnatural fires that aggravate the climate crisis; with the sign of fire as the light of the Holy Spirit that unites Christians. 

Individuals and communities are invited to participate  through prayer, sustainability projects, and advocacy:

• Prayer:  Host an ecumenical prayer service that unites all Christians to care for our common home,  journey together in Creation or in places affected by climate change and biodiversity loss, liturgical moments to listen from the Book of Lord and the Book of Creation.
• Sustainability:  Lead a public awareness event reaching a wider public of people with the good news that each of us can bring Its contribution, such as:  hosting a Laudato Si’ Film community screening and inviting to continue the journey registering in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, hosting eco theological and environmental ethics conference
• Advocacy: Raise your voice for climate justice by participating or joining an ongoing campaign, such as the movement to divest from fossil fuels. Follow the issues and events leading up to COP27, to be held in Egypt, November 7-18 2022. Consider speaking with your government representatives or negotiators on issues that will protect creation.

To learn more, please read What is the Season of Creation?, and visit SeasonOfCreation.org