The Season of Creation, or “Creationtide”, as the Church of England calls it, is the annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to listen and care for our common home.
It begins on the World Day of Prayer for Creation, September 1, and ends on St. Francis Day, October 4. We hope you can join in the celebration this year.
The Season of Creation is not new. In 1989, Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I of Constantinople proclaimed September 1 as a World Day of Prayer for Creation for the Orthodox Church. The day has now become a month-long observance by Christians of many denominations, including our own Anglican Communion, the Roman Catholic Church, the United Church, Lutherans, Methodists, and others.
The theme for the 2024 Season of Creation is “To Hope and Act with Creation.” The official declaration reminds us of the image from Romans of Creation groaning in labor pains. It says even though we are not treating Creation as the Mother that St. Paul portrays, “there is hope and the expectation for a better future.”
The symbol for this year’s Season of Creation is: the first fruits of hope.
“Hope is an instrument enabling us to overcome the natural law of decay. Hope is given to us by God as a protection and guard against futility. Only through hope we may realize the gift of freedom in fullness. Freedom to act not only to achieve enjoyment and prosperity, but to reach the stage in which we are free and responsible. Freedom and responsibility enable us to make the world a better place. Only when we work together with Creation can the firstfruits of hope emerge.”
- Season of Creation Celebration Guide
Resources
There are various resources available to help you celebrate the Season of Creation. Here are a few:
- Season of Creation Website
- Special Lectionary and Liturgies, created by the Diocese of Western Massachusetts and approved for use by Bishop Provenzano and other Episcopal Bishops, which can be used for the Eucharist and Daily Office during this period.
- Anglican Communion Environmental Network
- Creationtide Liturgy and Prayer Resources from the Church of England
- Green Anglicans Manual with sermons and resources from six women bishops from Kenya, Brazil, Lesotho, Eswatini, and the UK.
Submitted by the Creation Care Community of the Diocese of Long Island.