Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In 2015 Pope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation to “offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” It is celebrated on September 1st .
Today, we are at a crucial juncture, and we are asked to continue working to protect and respect one another and our common home from further abuse and degradation.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter entitled Laudato Sí, you are invited to reflect on your personal lifestyle decisions and choices to address the seven objectives proposed by the Laudato Sí Action Plan. Parishes are also asked to discern how they can include Care for Creation into their larger Missional plan. To begin this period of discernment, I am inviting all parishes to host a Care for Creation Mass to celebrate the Season for Creation (September 1st to October 4th). We encourage you to choose a date near St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day if possible.
Following this encounter with Christ, the Archdiocese, in collaboration with the current Laudato Sí leaders, will gain insights from parishes willing to engage in concrete ways to answer this call. A general plan about the opportunities available to you in your parish will be shared to work toward the goals with the common understanding that they serve to meet Jesus in our everyday lives, by serving others and protecting our Creation.
Marcel Damphousse Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall
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Please note that Mireille Church is the coordinator of this project. Any questions or comments can be sent to her at the following address: creationcare@archottawa.ca
