In celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the closing ceremony of the Season of Creation 2021 took place on October 4.
After more than four weeks united ecumenically celebrating the beauty of our common home, we gathered to offer our gratitude to God, our Creator.
It was a space of prayer, music, readings and reflection, with representatives of all Christian denominations telling us how they have lived this Season of Creation in their communities.
Relive the whole event here
Dominique Yon, Catholic Youth Coordinator of the Archdiocese of Cape Town, was the moderator in charge. The opening prayer was led by Rev. Dennis Nthenge, Anglican minister at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
As a community, we shared the canticle of the creatures of St. Francis of Assisi. This was followed by a time of confession by Savanna Sullivan, coordinator of youth programs at the Lutheran World Federation.
Brazilian Amanda Costa, UN youth ambassador, representative of Evangelicals for Climate and founder of Perifa Sustentável, made some points about the world we want to live in.
First, she asked: “Can we build a future? We live in a world with many crises, so what is our role in this world? We cannot continue to affect migration, inequity, discrimination,” he said.
He also encouraged those present to “decolonize our minds, think differently from what is proposed, and ask God to help us think how to move forward. Open your hearts and let the Holy Spirit speak to you”.
Listen to this song by the “Green Anglicans”:
Before the end, a space for petitions and thanksgiving was shared, putting in common different intentions, including those shared in the chat by the many people who watched the event live.
The concluding prayer was led by the Lutheran Church of South Africa, in the voice of Reverend Kagiso Morudu. Dominique Yon thanked all the organizations that made this event possible, in particular the Laudato Si’ Movement and the youth committee of the Season of Creation.