With the celebration of the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4, the Season of Creation has come to a close. I think I can safely say that this years’ Season of Creation was our biggest and best so far.
We started with a reflection on the Season of Creation that I delivered, after a great introduction by Father Crispin, at the masses on September 18th and 19th. Then on September 21st by none other than Emmy-winning meteorologist Jeff Renner who gave us a great presentation on climate change and faith. If you missed it or just wanted to watch it again, you can check it out at tinyurl.com/jeff-renner-soc-res. We had about 40 people attend the live event.
The next day, Olga Sala Torra led us in a Season of Creation Rosary that was attended virtually by around 15 people. On October 1st, Jim Russell and Jennifer Sullivan led the Stations of Creation that was attended virtually by around 10 people. And on October 3rd, around 30 people — young and old — attended the Blessing of the Animals where Father Crispin blessed pets of all kinds and sizes, including dogs, cats, and a chicken.
On September 23rd, the Archdiocese of Seattle shared that it had signed the “Healthy Planet, Healthy People Petition” that I wrote about several weeks ago in this column. Many of us had asked Archbishop Etienne to sign the petition on behalf of the Archdiocese of Seattle, and I was ecstatic to learn that he had indeed signed it. You can read the news release at tinyurl.com/lsia-ab-petition. And along with Pope Francis, Archbishop Etienne urges everyone to sign the petition, which you can do at thecatholicpetition.org.
And please continue to pray that President Biden, the U.S. Congress, and of the world’s leaders meeting at the end of the month at COP 26 in Glasgow will experience ecological conversions and be moved to deliver significant and sustained progress on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and addressing both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
Thanks to the many who participated this year, even if virtually, in the Season of Creation. Hopefully, next year, more of us can gather in person to celebrate an even stronger season.
Working together, we can help take care of our common home.
Paul Litwin
Saint Francis of Assisi at St John the Evangelist 