On September 30, 2024, in Rome, the official campaign to request the institution of the Feast of the Mystery of Creation was launched in a face-to-face and online event. The conference provides background on the proposed feast, its theological foundations, and ways in which Catholic organizations can contribute to the process.
Nearly 120 Catholic organizations and congregations (e.g., president, superior general, others with governing or executive functions, JPIC coordinators, etc.) participated in the Rome event in person and online.
Consensus on the Feast
The celebration of September 1 as Creation Day, Creation Feast, or World Day of Prayer for Creation has gained great ecumenical popularity in recent decades. Inspired by a rich liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, for which this is the first day of its liturgical year, the Day of Creation was subsequently adopted as a special day of prayer by the World Council of Churches in 2008 and by Pope Francis for the Catholic Church in 2015, while inspiring the broader ‘Season of Creation’ that derives from this day.
Driven by the signs of the times and nourished by Pope Francis’ annual statements, Creation Day has grown strongly in recent years, with thousands of communities participating in its annual celebration. Even as an optional celebration, absent from our lectionary and formal liturgical life, there is a deep thirst to celebrate God as Creator.
More recently, in March 2024, a historic ecumenical meeting took place in Assisi to explore a proposal to elevate the celebration of Creation Day to an official liturgical feast commemorating the great mystery of Creation. Encouraged by the strong support of high-level leaders such as the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church and the Primate of the worldwide Anglican Communion (Archbishop of Canterbury), a strong consensus emerged on the need to jointly institute this liturgical feast, particularly as an ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025. The ecumenical consensus was driven by the profound theological foundations of the feast, particularly its ancient symbolism in the Orthodox Church as a day representing the divine act of Creation.
The Dicastery for Divine Worship, in addition to issuing its positive statement on the Feast, has clarified that the next step would be to receive petitions for the feast. This need is driven by (1) a synodal approach, which – before taking a step at the global level – would first ensure that there is a desire from local churches and the People of God (sensus fidelium), also in line with (2) the precedent of recent ‘new feasts’, which were also preceded by petitions to the Pope from various corners of the Church; for example, Feast of the Holy Family (1921), Feast of Christ the King (1925), Feast of Christ the Priest (2012), etc.
Common Letter to Pope Francis
It should be noted that three continental episcopal conferences are already confirmed to sign a parallel joint letter to Pope Francis, from their perspective as bishops.
Therefore, the working group co-convened by the JPIC commission of UISG-USG, LSM, and LSRI has prepared a joint letter to be delivered privately to Pope Francis (i.e., not an open letter). Although aware that some details (such as the exact title of the feast to signify its theological depth) are still to be discerned in the ecumenical process, the letter supports the general proposal of the feast.
Among the many congregations, Friar Miguel Ángel Domínguez, of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, officially wrote and signed the letter to Pope Francis in a protocol on September 16, 2024; the letter says ‘This is such an important feast that it deserves to be celebrated by all the People of God, recognizing God as Creator in the Eucharistic encounter. Furthermore, a universal solemnity would be key to allowing our vast membership, spanning all corners of the globe, to celebrate together the great mystery of Creation.
Each congregation is asked to officially submit the letter before December 1, 2024.
Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, one of the speakers, says: ‘An important event in the Church, that what we believe and what we venerate is connected in ecological life, in the very making of the liturgy, where our real care for the planet is connected with the care of the planet.’ And the celebrated liturgist Catherine Vincie, RSHM, added: ‘Expanding our love for our neighbor includes nature. Nature can be included as our neighbor in need. We want to make the earth a compassionate place for the environment…’
The conference in Rome is organized by the JPIC Commission of UISG-USG, the Laudato Si’ Movement and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute with the participation of various organizations and congregations that attended the recent ecumenical event in Assisi (Focolare Movement, Roman Inter-Franciscan Commission VI, International Catholic Conference of Scouting, Carmelite Order, Order of Augustinian Recollects, Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Society of Jesus, Society of Mary and World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations), ARCORES International represented by Jaazeal Jakosalem, the president, is co-organizer of the event, as a member of the working group.
THE FEAST OF THE MYSTERY OF CREATION: WHY & HOW TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS?
