August 26, 2026

Starting with World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1, the Church, including the Church of the North Country, will once again spend just over a month celebrating the Season of Creation.

Sister Bethany Fitzgerald, a Sister of St. Joseph and one of the leaders of the Faith & Ecology groups in the diocese, said the season highlights both blessings and challenges.

“In 2015, Pope Francis established the Season of Creation that begins on Sept. 1 through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi,” she said. “This Season is an occasion to celebrate this blessing and a challenge to action to care for it as an expression our gratitude for it.”

To celebrate the Season of Creation in 2026, the Faith & Ecology groups will host two events – a Sept. 26 event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in New York State Campground at Fish Creek’s day-use area and an Oct. 4 event in Cape Vincent at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Camp from 1 to 3 p.m.

More information about both events will be listed in the North Country Catholic’s calendar in future weeks.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also highlighted the call to action, call to gratitude and call to implore God’s help and ask his pardon that comes with the season.

Encouraging individuals, families and communities to “reaffirm our vocation as stewards of creation,” USCCB offers ideas for ways to honor the season and God’s creation.

“In your daily life, try to identify the ways in which you can choose reusables, rather than disposables, such as coffee mugs, reusable bags, or cloth napkins, and commit to making one change during this month,” USCCB said in a document produced for the Season of Creation.

USCCB also encouraged communities to use the educational programs offered by the Catholic Climate Covenant “to reflect on our vocation as stewards of creation.”

Catholic Climate Covenant programs can be found at https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/programs/

USCCB also encouraged families and individuals to spend time thanking God for his handiwork in creation during this special season.

“Before and after meals, say a short prayer of thanksgiving for the life-giving food that sustains and nourishes us,” the document urges. “Briefly consider how all nourishment ultimately comes from the earth and give thanks for all the human hands that helped bring this food to your table. May we recognize, as Laudato Si’ has taught us, that this “moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life.”

Communities are urged to participate in Eucharistic adoration, as well.

“One of the most meaningful ways we give thanks as Christians is through the sacrament of the Eucharist, a word which means ‘thanksgiving,’” USCCB states. “As Laudato Si’ proclaims, through the Eucharist, ‘the whole cosmos gives thanks to God’ (no. 236). To celebrate this sacred reality during the Season of Creation, we recommend hosting a one-hour, care for creation-themed Eucharistic adoration in your parish.”

Finally, USCCB encourages individuals, families and communities to “implore God’s help and ask his pardon.”

“In calling for a deep ‘ecological conversion,’ Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of examining one’s own conscience, of recognizing one’s sins against creation, however great or small,” the document says. “We invite you to bring these sins to confession and to perform a spiritual work of mercy for our common home, such as an act of ‘grateful contemplation of God’s world’ (Laudato Si’, no. 214). One final suggestion for this time is to organize a prayer service in your parish. The Laudato Si’ Movement has an official prayer book that can provide inspiration for a service. As we approach the beautiful autumn season, holding this service outside may allow for a rich experience.”

The prayer book can be found at https://laudatosimovement.org/prayer-book/.