This date marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, which ends on 4 October with the liturgical feast of St Francis of Assisi, one of the saints most sensitive to the beauty of Mother Earth and the need for her protection. Today, almost all major Christian religious faiths adhere to this annual observance, through multiple ecumenical initiatives and moments of prayer, to honour God the Creator and the profound Mystery of creation. (Cf. Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments).

Assisi hosted a study seminar last winter (15-16 March 2024), supported by the "Laudato Si 'Movement" together with various Ecumenical groups, many Congregations and Pontifical Universities. On the one hand it was intended as a moment of reflection on the ecumenical journey so far travelled in the commemoration of this day, and on the other it attempted to explore potential future developments of this important initiative: to raise 1 September to a liturgical feast in the Catholic Church too as well.

Among the more than one hundred delegates from every continent in an "ecumenical Kairos" was also Msgr. Krzysztof Marcjanowicz, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Last month Rome hosted two international and ecumenical conferences on the aforementioned theme, aimed at preparing another seminar that will also take place in Assisi from 4 to 8 December, entitled: "The Feast of the Mystery of Creation. A Deeper Exploration” (The Feast of the Mystery of Creation. A more in-depth analysis).

The Salesian Congregation, with the official signature of Headquarters as promoter, joined the preparation and support of the proposal, and was also able to count on the support, among others, of Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, himself a Salesian and a convinced supporter of this important process.

"There is still much to be done in the Church to undergo an ecological conversion, as first proposed by Saint John Paul II and then reiterated by Laudato Si'” the prelate said in a recorded speech. “This is why we are strongly encouraged by the ecumenical journey that requires the Creation Day that we celebrate annually every 1 September to become a liturgical feast. The time is ripe! Our liturgical life would allow us to celebrate the great mystery of Creation with greater awareness! (…). It is clearly a necessary and prophetic step in the light of the signs of the times, in the face of the environmental crisis and the climate emergency."

You can find, in English, the complete reflection of Cardinal Charles Bo in support of the liturgical proposal here.

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