Draft:Creation Day
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Creation Day, also known as the Feast of Creation or World Day of Prayer for Creation, is a Christian observance celebrated on September 1 or the subsequent Sunday. The celebration commemorates God's creation of the universe and the need to care for creation. Officially recognized by the Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, Methodist Churches, the Episcopal Churches and Reformed Churches, it marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, a globally observed ecumenical season dedicated to prayer, reflection, and action for the environment.[1][2]
History
[edit]Eastern Orthodox Origin
[edit]Creation Day has its roots in the ancient liturgical tradition of Orthodox Christianity, where September 1 has long symbolized the day when God began creating the universe as described in the first chapter of Genesis.[3] It embodies the biblical phrase "In the beginning" from both the Book of Genesis and the Gospel of John.[4]
The Byzantine Creation Era calendar, officially used by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church from the 7th to the 18th century,[5] calculated that God began creating the cosmos on September 1, 5509 BC. This dating system was derived from biblical chronological calculations, similar to the Jewish calendar's Anno Mundi system.[6]
When the Orthodox Church transitioned from the Anno Mundi system to the Western Anno Domini calendar, September 1 was retained as the first day of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year, a practice also maintained by Byzantine Catholic rites.[7]
Modern Development
[edit]In 1989, Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios expanded the traditional observance by establishing September 1 also as a day of prayer for creation, inviting all Christian churches to join. He called for "prayers and supplications to the Maker of all, both as thanksgiving for the great gift of Creation and as petitions for its protection and salvation."[8] Creation Day and "Creation Time" was since then celebrated in other Churches. For instance, in 2003, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines coined the term "Creation Day", inspired by the Orthodox tradition, as a day to reflect on the "responsibility to preserve and promote the integrity of creation in the face of the planetary ecological crisis". [9]
Pope Francis followed this precedent in 2015 by establishing the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1 for the universal Catholic Church.[10][11][12] Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed a joint statement on September 1, 2017, to reiterate the ecumenical commitment.[13][14] The World Council of Churches, inspired by the Orthodox celebration, extended the observance into a month-long Season of Creation running from September 1 through October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of ecology).[15] Creation Day and the larger ecumenical season are now celebrated by nearly all major Christian denominations, including an ongoing ecumenical process to explore its theological foundations to potentially become a liturgical feast also in non-Byzantine churches.[16][17] [18][19][20]
Relevance
[edit]Theological Significance
[edit]The day celebrates two distinct meanings of "Creation". Firstly, the creative event - God's act of bringing the universe into existence; and secondly, the created cosmos as the ongoing result of God's creative act, experienced as the natural world.[21][22][23][24]
Christian leaders such as Pope Benedict XVI noted that the doctrine of Creation had become neglected in modern theology.[25]
Contemporary Relevance
[edit]The day is celebrated through special liturgies, prayers of thanksgiving for creation, and petitions for environmental protection.[26] Many churches hold dedicated services focusing on creation themes,[27][28][29] while the broader Season of Creation[30] includes various educational and advocacy activities related to ecological conversion.[31] [32][33][34][35]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Season of Creation runs throughout September". BBC Sounds.
- ^ "Creation Care". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "The beginning of the Indiction (September 1)". Orthodox Times.
- ^ "Why a Feast of Creation on September 1?". Laudato Si' Movement.
- ^ "Byzantine Creation Era Calendar". Orthodox Christianity, 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Tøndering, Claus. "The Hebrew Calendar". www.tondering.dk. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "The Orthodox Faith - Volume II - Worship - the Church Year - Church Year".
- ^ Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios. "Encyclical Letter on the Day of Protection of the Environment September 1, 1989" (PDF). Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration.
- ^ "Celebrating Creation Day and Creation Time". Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Insua, Tomás. "Laudato Si': A drop in the ocean or a powerful oceanic undercurrent? It's up to us". Earthbeat. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis for the establishment of the "World Day of Prayer for The Care of Creation" [1st September]".
- ^ "World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation". CAFOD.
- ^ Valente, Gianni. "Francis and Bartholomew: May God help us save His creation". La Stampa. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Glatz, Carol. "Pope, Orthodox patriarch issue joint plea for care of creation". Earthbeat. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Season of Creation". World Council of Churches.
- ^ "New steps towards the Feast of Creation: LSRI co-hosts ecumenical gathering in Assisi | Laudato Si' Research Institute". Laudato Si' Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford.
- ^ Larson, Lizette. "The Feast of Creation and the Mystery of Creation". Pray Tell. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "WCC Podcast explores Feast of Creation ahead of Creation Day Conference". World Council of Churches.
- ^ Eves, Hannah. "The Story of the Season of Creation". A Rocha. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "A Feast of Creation: An Unprecedented Journey to Unity". New City Publishing House. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "THE FEAST OF CREATION AND THE MYSTERY OF CREATION: ECUMENISM, THEOLOGY, LITURGY, AND SIGNS OF THE TIMES IN DIALOGUE". Laudato Si' Action Platform.
- ^ "What is the Feast of Creation?". Season of Creation.
- ^ Williams, Rowan (2018). Christ at the Heart of Creation. London: Bloomsbury.
- ^ O'Callaghan, Paul (2022). God's Gift to the Universe: An Introduction to Creation Theology. Washington DC: The Catholic University of America Press.
- ^ "Why a Feast of Creation on September 1?". Laudato Si' Movement.
- ^ "Creationtide or the Season of Creation". The Church of England.
- ^ "Creationtide Resources". The Methodist Church.
- ^ "A Time for Creation: Liturgical resources for Creation and the Environment". The Church of England. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Mass For Creation Resources". Catholic Climate Covenant. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Season of Creation". Season of Creation. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "What is the Season of Creation". Laudato Si' Movement.
- ^ "Launch of Laudato Si' Action Platform culminates Laudato Si' Week 2021 as Catholics around the world respond to Pope Francis' call". Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Creationtide or the Season of Creation". The Church of England. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Pope Leo: God's creation is not a battleground for vital resources". Vatican News.
- ^ "Season of Creation: A Time to Pray and Act". Scottish Episcopal Church Institute Journal. 3 (4). Winter 2019.