The annual Mass for Creation of the Archdiocese of New York was celebrated this week at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle near Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Father James DiLuzio, CSP, director of Ecumenical-Multifaith Relations for the Paulists National Office in Manhattan served as the principal celebrant and homilist. 

The Mass was in observance of the 2024 Season of Creation established by the Archdiocese of New York, the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, and St. Paul the Apostle Church. The Season of Creation runs from September 1 to October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. The Mass took place on the evening of Wednesday, September 25.

The liturgy was followed by a social gathering at the church property. The event’s special guests were Father Brian E. McWeeney, archdiocesan delegate for the Care of God’s Creation Committee, and Father Benedict Ayodi, OFM Cap., of the Laudato Si’ Movement.

They were among the several concelebrants, which also included Father Eric Andrews, CSP, pastor at St. Paul the Apostle. “To Hope and Act with Creation” was the event theme. (Laudato Si’ is the second encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled “One Care for Our Common Home.”) Father DiLuzio’s homily linked the significance of the story of creation in Genesis with present-day concerns related to caring for life and the earth.

“Laudato Si’ insists, it reminds us that our bodies are part of something much bigger – and that our lives and our bodies are not just about us. Human beings and nature are interdependent,” Father DiLuzio said in his homily. “Not only did we come from the ground, but so did everything else. … Genesis continues, ‘Out of the ground the Lord God grew every tree; out of the ground came all the wild animals and the birds of the air.’ That is a truth, an essential truth – a deep truth.”

Several parishes from the archdiocese and beyond were represented at the Mass by parishioners active in care-for-creation causes. Nearly 100 people attended the annual Mass, which began several years ago.

“It was just a very lovely evening – and the time that followed the Mass was for sharing and discussion,” Father McWeeney told The Good Newsroom in a September 26 phone interview. “There was commitment to continue, especially during this Season of Creation – to recognize the needs of God’s people and the needs of nature. … I did an introduction talking about how the Church has been consistent in its defense of nature and of humanity.”

Father McWeeney said he cited the words of Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope John Paul II when commenting on the importance of caring for the Lord’s creation. He said all societal concerns (i.e., water, plant life, animal life, human existence, peace) are related to creation because they “go into the welfare of humankind.”

“How blessed we were to host this event at St. Paul’s. It was great to pray with representatives of Laudato Si’ groups throughout the Archdiocese and beyond. It is particularly important that we focus our prayers and actions for our planet, our common home, while world leaders are gathered at the United Nations General Assembly. … It’s an important time to lift up our prayers for our common home, as we prepare for our celebration of the feast of St. Francis, and also during this harvest season. The movement began over 10 years ago with the promulgation of Laudato Si’,” Father Andrews, the parish pastor, said.

The Season of Creation website points to Romans 8:19-25, which talks about “the first fruits of hope.” The site also notes, “In the letter of Paul the apostle to the Romans, the biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother, groaning as in childbirth (Rom 8:22). Francis of Assisi understood this when he referred to the Earth as our sister and our mother in his Canticle of Creatures.”

“The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource to be used. And yet, there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life springs forth.”

For more information, visit https://seasonofcreation.org