Bishop: We are custodians of our fragile environment

Bishop Hayes. Image: CCO

Source: Irish Catholic Media Office

This Sunday, 1 September, heralds the beginning of the Season of Creation. This six-week annual celebration is an opportunity for conversion and commitment to help renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation. This ecumenical season runs from the World Day of Prayer for Creation on Sunday, to the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology and the environment, on 4 October.

The theme for this year's Season is 'To hope and act with creation.' The Vatican's message states: "To hope in the biblical context does not mean to remain still and silent, but to groan, to cry out and to struggle actively for a new life in the midst of difficulties. Creation and all human beings are called to worship the Creator, working for a dynamic future from which the first fruits of hope can spring."

Speaking ahead of the upcoming Church season, Bishop Martin Hayes, Bishop of Kilmore and Episcopal Coordinator for Laudato Si' said: "We are the custodians of our fragile environment on behalf of our children and their children. So let's hope and act with creation. The important thing is to begin, and don't be afraid to partner with your family, friends and parishioners.

"To support everyone, the Bishops' Conference has provided user-friendly resources, including a guide to Sunday liturgies, activities that can be undertaken by families or children's groups, and a blessing of the animals for the Feast of Saint Francis. All across the island, from Kerry to Meath to Kilmore to Derry, parishes and dioceses are celebrating the season each in their own unique way."

Each year bespoke resources are prepared by the Laudato Si' Working Group, a team of interested and active people, who are supported by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference. These resources are designed to inform and support creation initiatives in dioceses, parishes and families at home. To avail and enjoy these resources please click here.

In 2015, Pope Francis published Laudato Si' - On Care for Our Common Home, the first papal encyclical on care for creation. It became a best seller in Ireland and in many countries. Laudato Si' is a blueprint which encourages "every person living on this planet" (LS, 3) to listen to the signs of the times, to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, to listen to the science and to the call of our faith.