Season of Creation
September 1 - October 4
The Season of Creation is an ecumenical initiative celebrated every year from September 1 to October 4, beginning with the World Day of Prayer for the Care for Creation and concluding on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis instituted the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in 2015 as a practical step following the publication of his encyclical, Laudato Si’. September 1 was chosen for the yearly observance, as it is the same date chosen by the Orthodox Church in 1989. This season gives Catholics the opportunity to give thanks to God for the creation of the world and of humanity, and to recall and strengthen our responsibility to care for God's creation.
Mass for the Care of Creation
On August 4, 2026, the Holy See's Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed the English and Spanish translations of the Mass “For the Care of Creation” to be used in the United States. The USCCB's Secretariat of Divine Worship has prepared free PDF downloads of the Mass
formularies in English and Spanish to facilitate their use.
View the resources for the Mass
Bulletin Insert for the Season of Creation
This bulletin insert highlights some ways to live out Pope Francis' call "to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation."
Access the resource
Our Common Home and the Transforming Power of the Liturgy
Just before the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest solemnly places bread and wine upon the altar while he prays: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread [the wine] we offer you: fruit of the earth [of the vine] and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life [our spiritual drink].” This ritual element manifests “the eucharistic form of life” and brings about “a real change in the way we approach history and the world” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, no. 92). The liturgy has power to transform us into people who care for our common home.