Season of Creation begins Sept. 1 amid worrisome data on climate change
The Season of Creation, which is marked by Christians around the world, runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4. Photo: Melodie Woerman/ENS
[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal congregations and individuals wanting to observe the Season of Creation can make use of some new resources this year, even as data shows the increasingly devastating effects of climate change.
The Season of Creation is a worldwide ecumenical Christian observance that begins with the Day of Prayer for Creation on Sept. 1 and ends with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, on Oct. 4. This year’s theme is “peace with creation,” with a dove carrying an olive branch bringing life to the garden of peace as the symbol.
This year’s observance comes as there is greater awareness of the growing need for people to protect the environment from climate change, as reflected in the May 2025 report of the World Meteorological Organization. It predicts an 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record, as well as that arctic warming will continue to outstrip the global average.
The report adds, “Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves; extreme rainfall events; intense droughts; melting of ice sheets, sea ice and glaciers; heating of the ocean; and rising sea levels.”
Liturgical and practical resources are available
One resource on the Season of Creation website is a newly revised lectionary, “Season of Creation, an Ecumenical Celebration,” that was created by Episcopal priests the Rev. John Elliott Lein and the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas.
The lectionary includes readings for all three liturgical years (A, B and C), as well as prayers, readings, hymns and liturgies gathered from across the Anglican Communion. It is available for download as a PDF or a Microsoft Word document.
The Episcopal Church website notes Season of Creation resources of particular interest for Episcopalians, including liturgical resources for honoring God’s creation from the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.
The Prophetic Voices podcast hosted by the Rev. Shaneequa Brokenleg later this month will devote five episodes to the Season of Creation and the Feast of St. Francis, exploring how to preach about climate change and ecojustice.
Additional resources include a special prayer alert for the Season of Creation from Episcopal Relief & Development, ways to take action through The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and daily email devotions created by the Province One Eco-Region.
Information about Good News Gardens and resources specifically for St. Francis Day are also available.
In addition, the Office of Government Relations is hosting a Sept. 5. online discussion on biodiversity conservation and policy featuring climate scientist and Episcopal deacon the Rev. Lisa Graumlich, from 2-2:45 p.m. Eastern. Graumlich is dean emerita of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington and has devoted her career to studying the causes and impacts of climate change. Registration for the event is available here.
Support for renewable energy is being cut in the US
This year’s observance of the Season of Creation comes at a time when money to help U.S. homeowners and businesses install renewable energy sources is drying up. The Associated Press reported that in January President Trump began making major changes to the nation’s energy policies, when a series of executive orders took aim at increasing oil, gas and coal production. The orders also canceled plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development.
The current tax credit of 30% for installing residential solar panels now will expire at the end of 2025, and to claim the credit this year, the project must be installed and working by Dec. 31. Commercial solar tax credits remain but with new restrictions. The full 30% credit will be available only for projects that begin before July 4, 2026.
Wind-generated power also has become a target. On Aug. 22, the Trump administration ordered companies to stop construction of a wind farm being built off the coast of Rhode Island that was 80% complete.
One bright spot came in March of this year, when a report noted that for the first month ever, fossil fuels accounted for less than 50% – 49.2% of electricity generated in the United States. Wind and solar power in March also reached a monthly record of 24.4% of generated electricity, with the remainder coming from nuclear and hydropower.
Using renewable energy from sources like solar and wind allows consumers and businesses to avoid coal, oil and natural gas – fossil fuels that contribute to increased global warming and worsen air quality.
— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.
