Time of Creation
From September 1 to October 4, we undertake together with hope this special ecumenical initiative: the Time of Creation, a time of celebration, conversion and commitment shared by millions of Christians from different traditions.
This ecological day was originally established by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989 as a day of prayer. The World Council of Churches (WCC) was instrumental in making it a special time, extending the celebration from September 1 to October 4.
Following Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the WCC, Christians around the world have embraced this time as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the Roman Catholic Church in 2015, and in 2019 began celebrating the Time of Creation as well.
This year’s slogan and logo
This year, Pope Francis chose the motto “Seeds of peace and hope”, but it was Pope Leo XIV who was in charge of writing the message for this day, where he reminds us:
It seems that there is still no awareness that destroying nature does not harm everyone in the same way: trampling on justice and peace means affecting above all the poorest, the marginalized, the excluded.
We are invited to pray and work for lasting conditions of peace that are born of responsible care for our common home. This impulse is inspired by the biblical passage from Isaiah 32:14-18, which reminds us how justice breeds peace and transforms deserts into gardens.
The image of the “Garden of Peace”, symbolized by a dove carrying an olive branch, represents that creation that blossoms when we are living seeds of hope, reconstruction and justice.
This proposal and commitment resonates in our personal, community and apostolic life…. It is expressed in the Determinations of several General Congregations and we can find it already made explicit in Our Own Way of Educating:
- The World as Sacred Gift (nos. 69-70): We recognize that all creation is a gift from God and is to be contemplated and respected as part of creation. The Time of Creation celebrates this as a propitious time to revive this living and incarnate reverence.
- Commitment in the face of ecological sin (nos. 71-72): Our world context is marked by injustices and environmental aggression, and the Time of Creation calls us to form disciples committed to collaborate with God in his creative action. It encourages us to transform structures of sin with evangelical authenticity.
- Integrative education (no. 73-74): The world should inspire admiration, contemplation and gratitude. From our educational mission, we want to promote attitudes that translate into the defense of life, care for the environment, responsible use of goods, and openness to global dialogue. This is an ideal time to enliven these attitudes in our educational communities.
All are invited to join us
We invite you to actively participate in this Time of Creation, from September 1 to October 4, as a privileged moment to pray, reflect and act for environmental justice and peace.
Be sure to check out the free resources offered by the official platform of the Time of Creation, including liturgical guides, educational materials, symbols, logos and the 2025 Celebration Guide in Spanish, as well as tools to involve the entire community.
Also during this time we could celebrate a “Mass of Creation” a new form included in the Masses pro variis necessitatibus vel ad diversa (“for various needs and occasions”) of the Roman Missal and recently approved by Pope Leo XIV.
Let us remember that this time is not just another ephemeris: it is an ethical and theological call, from our charismatic identity, to care for creation as an expression of Trinitarian love, in communion and self-giving.
And you, how are you taking care of the Common Home in your daily life?
What seed of peace and hope can you sow today?
