Be Our Guest / Sr. Sheila Marie Fitzpatrick, O.S.B.

The 2022 Season of Creation Calls us to ‘Listen to the Voice of Creation’

The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action for God’s created world. It begins on Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. This is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion and commitment together.

This year’s theme is “Listen to the Voice of Creation.” The first word in the Rule of St. Benedict is “Listen”: “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

To listen with the ear of our heart is to hear the stirrings of the Holy Spirit in all forms, to discern how the Holy Spirit is calling us, and to direct our actions accordingly.

The burning bush is offered as a visual representation of this year’s theme. Just as Moses listened to the voice in the burning bush, we also must listen to the voice of God through the cries of the suffering, the harmony of biodiversity, and the meaning within the rhythm of nature.

As Pope Francis states in his encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” “Nature is filled with words of love” (#225). By listening to the voices in our fellow creatures, we become aware of our vocation to care for our common home.

Join us in this Season of Creation for a few opportunities that we in the archdiocesan Creation Care Commission are offering to reflect, pray, grow and “listen”:

• Mass for the Season of Creation. On Sept. 13, we invite you to join us for a Mass for Creation at 5:15 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 317 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis. Archbishop Charles C. Thompson will preside. A light reception will also be held after Mass.
• Ecumenical Prayer Service/Blessing of Pets. On Sept. 1, as part of the World Day of Prayer for Creation, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 5333 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, will host an ecumenical prayer service at 7 p.m. A blessing of pets will also be offered.
• Season of Creation Prayer Service. On Sept. 29, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 4625 N. Kenwood Ave., Indianapolis, is hosting a Season of Creation prayer service at 6:30 p.m.
• Green Festival/Carrie Newcomer Concert. On Sept. 10, the Creation Care Commission is partnering with other local faith–based organizations to sponsor this free family-friendly event. The festival is from 3-6 p.m. at the Cumberland First Baptist Church, 116 S. Muessing St., Cumberland, and will offer many family-oriented activities. A ticketed concert featuring singer and songwriter Carrie Newcomer and pianist Gary Walters will follow.

These activities are also available during the Season of Creation:

• Visit an outdoor sacred space. Go to the ArchIndy Creation Care website (ourcommonhome.org) to obtain a “Guide to Outdoor Sacred Spaces.”
• Enroll in the Laudato Si Action Platform. The “LSAP” is a “unique collaboration between the Vatican, an international coalition of Catholic organizations, and ‘all men and women of good will” (#3) (laudatosiactionplatform.org). Join with Pope Francis and people across the globe on our journey to integral ecology. Additional information on ways our archdiocese and our parishes can participate can be found at ourcommonhome.org/lsap.
• Take Our Outdoor Challenge/State Park Pass Raffle. Throughout the month of September, you are challenged to complete four activities as listed in the Outdoor Challenge Guide found at www.ourcommonhome.org/soc. Submit proof of all parts of the challenge to get your name in an Oct. 4 raffle for a free 2023 Indiana State Park entrance permit.

More information on these events and activities, as well as other Season of Creation resources, can be found on the ArchIndy Creation Care website at www.ourcommonhome.org.
 

(Benedictine Sister Sheila Marie Fitzpatrick is director of facilities at the Benedict Inn Retreat & Conference Center in Beech Grove and a member of the archdiocese’s Creation Care Commission.) †