“Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home. We have inherited a garden; we must not leave a desert for our children.”  Joint statement from Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury.

Peace with Creation

This year’s Season of Creation has as its theme “Peace with Creation”, inspired by the passage from Isaiah 32:14-18; “My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”  In a world of challenges and division, marked by war and climate change, how can we as people of faith create and work towards peace with creation?

The Season of Creation has a special significance for the Catholic Church, particularly since the late Pope Francis established 1 September as an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.  The Season of Creation is marked throughout the Christian world from 1 September to 4 October (Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi) and celebrates the joy of creation as well as encouraging awareness-raising initiatives to protect the natural environment.

It provides us with a chance in our liturgical spaces and calendar to notice and pray for creation in a special way. It can remind us of our part to play in the interconnected web of life, of the importance of caring for the myriad of life systems on our planet and how we can be part of a restorative care that brings peace and allows for resting places for all our species on this planet.

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The Symbol for 2025 is the Garden of Peace

The 2025 Symbol is inspired by Isaiah 32:14-18. Titled ‘Garden of Peace,’ it depicts a white dove flying over a tree. The left side of the tree is barren, with roots digging into dry soil, surrounded by an arid, desolate landscape. In contrast, the right side of the tree is lush and green, standing amidst a flourishing landscape. The dove, carrying an olive branch in its beak, flies toward the right – symbolising peace as a transition from a war-torn, overexploited land to one that is fertile, thriving, and hospitable.

Let us remember that humanity was originally called to tend a garden. Through this year’s Season of Creation, we will   reflect on the connection between caring for creation and fostering peace. The white dove with an olive branch is a globally recognised symbol of peace. In the story of Noah, it also signifies new life after destruction. Note: This logo is not meant to diminish the unique value of desert ecosystems and their creatures, which are also part of God’s creation. Furthermore, the desert holds a significant role in the Bible.

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Seeds of Peace and Hope

As the Church prepares to mark the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV’s message for the occasion urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognise the urgent need for environmental and social justice in a world increasingly scarred by climate change, conflict, and inequality.

The Pope’s message entitled Seeds of Peace and Hope resonates with the spirit of the ongoing Jubilee Year, calling the faithful to embrace their role as ‘pilgrims of hope’ and stewards of God’s Creation. If you would like to read Pope Leo’s full message, click here

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Season of Creation 2025 Prayer

Creator of all,

we praise you for the gift of life

and for the faith that unites us in care for our common home.

We confess how estranged we have become—

from one another, from your Creation, and from our truest selves.

We acknowledge that our greed and destructive impulses

have fractured our relationships with you, with others, and with the Earth.

Fertile fields have become barren,

forests lie desolate,

oceans and rivers are polluted.

Thriving communities have become places of suffering,

and the earth cries out.

Beloved Christ,

who spoke “Shalom” to frightened hearts,

stir us to compassionate action.

Inspire us to work for the end of conflict,

and for the full restoration of broken relationships—

with you,

with the ecumenical community,

with the human family,

and with all Creation.

Prince of Peace,

through your wounds, teach us to stand in solidarity

with the woundedness of others,

of creation, and of the world.

Through your resurrection,

make us people of hope—

with a vision of swords turned into ploughshares

and tears transformed into joy.

May we come together as one family,

to labour for your peace—

a shalom where all your people

may dwell in safety,

and rest in quiet places.

Amen.

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St Francis of Assisi click here

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