THE SEASON OF CREATION SEPTEMBER 1st (World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation) TO OCTOBER 4th (the feast of St Francis of Assisi) The Pope’s message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation
“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4) is the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. In his Message, the Holy Father explains that “the interaction between armed conflicts and environmental degradation often creates a vicious cycle, which destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources, such as air and water, and undermines food security. This fuels poverty, inequality, and new social tensions that can contribute to the emergence of further conflicts.”
“What is more,” the Pope continues, “war creates wounds that damage the whole fabric of life” and “reveals a deeper failure to live in God’s image and likeness, to respect life and to care for the earth entrusted to us.”
Pope Leo XIV states that “the wounds of war and the degradation of the earth, then, are profoundly linked to the condition of the human heart,” and are therefore “an ethical and cultural crisis, including the loss of a sense of limits, the desire for domination, the pursuit of immediate profit, and the inability to recognize the God-given dignity of each human person.”
The Pope’s hope, therefore, is that “what has been used for destruction” may be “redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation.”
Pope Leo concluded - “If we take up this task with humility and faith, we will become collaborators in God’s work of renewal. We will move, slowly but surely, from desert to garden, from division to communion, and from violence to peace.”
Pope Leo extends this invitation to all of us: “Let us imagine a world in which the energies currently invested in war are directed toward integral human development, to overcoming poverty, protecting human dignity and reconciling divided peoples. Such a vision reflects faith in the coming of God’s Kingdom”.
Source: https://www.humandevelopment.va
The month of September is SVP awareness month. The St Vincent De Paul Society (or as it is known – the SVP) is an international Catholic voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty by providing practical assistance to those in need – irrespective of faith, age or gender in other words Turning concern into action. The Society is a lay organisation initially formed in Paris in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam and active in England & Wales since 1844. It was inspired by St Vincent De Paul a 17th century priest in Paris, famed for his works with the poor. Over the month of September, we will highlight our work and the initiatives we have started. We are also holding an open meeting on 19th October in the St Augustine’s Parish Centre, and all are welcome. We will remind you of this date nearer the time. During the month of September, we will be hosting coffees & teas after Mass – do come across and join us.