September 1 to 4 October is Time for Creation.
The beginning and the end dates of Time for Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity, respectively.
September 1 was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the environment by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989. The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. On October 4, Roman Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the Canticle of the Creatures. Many American Protestant churches in recent years have started to commemorate St. Francis Day in October with a blessing of pets during worship services.
God’s creation – the Earth, our home – is very closely tied with the issue of hunger because it is the source of our food, the very thing that keeps us alive daily.
The proposal to celebrate a Time for Creation during these five weeks was made by the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania in 2007. The following year, the World Council of Churches Central Committee invited churches to observe Time for Creation through prayers and actions. In 2015, Pope Francis has designated September 1 as a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation for the worldwide Roman Catholic Church as well. Many of the denominations involved with Bread are also members of the World Council of Churches.
The council has many liturgical resources available to help churches mark Time for Creation.
