The Diocese of Washington is one of 28 dioceses in The Episcopal Church that authorized special prayers and readings for last year’s Season of Creation.
The Season of Creation is marked by Christians around the world from September 1 (the World Day of Prayer for Creation) through October 4 (Feast Day of St. Francis). During this special season, churches preach, pray, and teach about God’s love for the whole Creation and the need for urgent action to heal the world that God made, addressing such issues as climate change, environmental stewardship, and biodiversity. This year’s theme is “To hope and act with Creation.”
A global movement has begun to adopt an ecumenical Feast Day of Creation on September 1 in liturgical calendars worldwide. Currently no feast day is dedicated to the theological mystery of creation as the foundational event of salvation history, or to God as Creator.
A resolution has been submitted to General Convention to support ecumenical efforts to declare a worldwide Feast Day of Creation in 2025, encourage promotion of September 1, 2024, as a special day of prayer for Creation, and encourage celebration of the Season of Creation in The Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Canon Dr. Rachel Mash, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, suggests that the Feast of Creation begin by confessing “that we have ignored the fact that salvation is not just for human beings – God’s plan is for the whole cosmos… God loved the whole cosmos, not just the people, but [also] the ecosystem, the whole web of life. He sent his only begotten son to die to bring reconciliation with God, between humans, and with the Earth.”
The Diocese of Washington will soon be invited to authorize special prayers and readings for the 2024 Season of Creation, which will be posted before General Convention at https://newcreationliturgies.org/. Created by the Rev. John Lein and the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, this updated version of A Celebration Guide for Episcopal Parishes includes a preaching guide for Year B, an all-new Daily Office guide, and a much-diversified set of readings.
EDOW’s Creation Care Committee urges all diocesan congregations to use this special season as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the theological mystery of creation and to celebrate the whole of Creation.
Abbott McCartney
Creation Care Committee
