Sisters of Charity of Nazareth gathered in St. Vincent de Paul Church Tuesday for a presentation to mark the opening of the 2025 Season of Creation. The presentation, “Nurturing Hope: Seeds of Peace and Hope”, was led by the Western Province Office of Social and Environmental Justice. The discussion offered Sisters a starting point for reflection, prayer, and dialogue as they entered into this global season dedicated to care for God’s creation.
The Season of Creation is celebrated worldwide by Christians from Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, through Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This year’s theme is rooted in Isaiah 32: 14-18, which envisions deserts transformed into fruitful fields where justice dwells and peace abides.
This year also coincides with two milestones: The Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope and the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home.
Sisters reflected on the newly released letter from Pope Leo XIV, Seeds of Peace and Hope. In it, Pope Leo continued the legacy of Pope Francis, who died earlier this year, calling Christians to recognize themselves as seeds that can bear fruit through acts of faith, justice, and ecological care.
Excerpts projected alongside contemporary icons of endangered species by artist Angela Manno, provided a backdrop for prayer. The words emphasized that environmental justice cannot be treated as an abstract concept, but must be lived concretely as social, economic, and human justice.
Seeds as Symbols
Guided by the presentation, Sisters considered these questions:
- “What image does a seed invoke in you? How do you see yourself being a seed?”
- “How do we plant seeds of hope, justice, and beauty in ourselves and in each other?”
Responses described seeds as symbols of surrender, growth, and transformation. Some Sisters noted the breaking open of the seed as a reminder that change is often uncomfortable yet necessary for new life to emerge.
The presentation concluded with the question: “What are you doing to care for creation?” As a modern rendition of St. Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures played, Sisters wrote their responses on slips of paper and placed them on a trellis constructed by Robin Leake. The trellis became a living symbol of the Community’s commitment to care for creation.
This presentation was the first of several opportunities for reflection, prayer, and education planned during the Season of Creation. As St. Francis of Assisi reminds us “Our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life, and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.”