About the

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.

Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox in 1989. In fact, the Orthodox church year starts on that day with a commemoration of how God created the world.

The World Council of Churches was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from 1 September until 4 October.

Following the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the WCC, Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of the season official in 2015.

In recent years, statements from religious leaders around the world have also encouraged the faithful to take time to care for creation during the month-long celebration.

The season starts 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home.

If you have any questions about the Season of Creation, please feel free to email us by clicking here.

About us

Activities and resources to celebrate the Season of Creation are supported by an ecumenical steering committee and a coalition of partners from around the world.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee supports the Season of Creation Steering Committee through theological and liturgical expertise, as well as the project and programmatic experience of its partners, while enhancing the engagement through their constituencies. The Advisory Committee members are as follow:

Bishop Marc Andrus, Anglican Church, Episcopal Diocese of California
Rev. Dr. Dave Bookless, Director of Theology, A Rocha International, Lausanne Global Catalyst for Creation Care
Bishop Rt. Rev. Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian, Church of South India, National Council of Churches of India
Dr. Celia Deane-Drummond, Director, Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford
Rev. Tony Franklin-Ross, Ecumenical Relations, World Methodist Council
Rev. Dr. Norm Habel, Lutheran Church, Adelaide Coordinator, Season of Creation Project
Dr. Hefin Jones, Executive Committee, World Communion of Reformed Churches
Metropolitan of Zimbabwe Serafim Kykotis, Greek Orthodox Archbishopric of Zimbabwe and Angola
Mr. Marcelo Leites, General Secretary, World Student Christian Federation
Brother Alois Löser, prior of Taizé
Fr. Martin Michalíček, Secretary General, Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae
Sr. Patricia Murray, Executive Secretary, International Union Superiors General
Dr. Alexandros K. Papaderos, Advisor of the Ecumenical Patriarchates of Constantinople
Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary, Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
Dr. Paulo Ueti, Theological Advisor & Latin American Regional Director, Anglican Alliance
Bishop Graham Usher, Anglican Church, Church of England lead Bishop on the Environment
Dr. Ruth Valerio, Director Global Advocacy and Influencing, Tearfund

Steering committee

Season of Creation activities are coordinated by an ecumenical steering committee, which was formed to help Christians around the world fulfill the purpose of the season.

As the urgent need to solve the environmental crisis continues to grow, Christian churches have been called to strengthen their united response. The Season of Creation ecumenical steering committee came together to provide resources to empower Christians to respond to our faith, each in the way of his or her own denomination, during this shared season of reflection and action.

The Steering Committee holds bi-weekly meetings along the year to prepare the theme, symbol, and resources for each season, and it is comprised of the World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, Laudato Si’ Movement, Anglican Communion Environmental Network, the Lausanne / World Evangelical Alliance Creation Care Network, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the European Christian Environmental Network, ACT Alliance, A Rocha International, World Methodist Council, and Christian Aid. We are also extremely grateful for the work of the Season of Creation Ecumenical Youth Committee.