The Season of Creation, an annual ecumenical initiative, concludes with the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4 October. Inspired by his Canticle of Creatures and Romans 8:19-25, this prayer invites us to praise, repent and lament, and then “to hope and act with Creation”. 

God, Creator of heaven and earth,
We praise you for the gift of life, 
For the complexity, beauty and generosity of this world, 
That sustains our existence and that of all your creatures. 

At the same time, we recognize the magnitude of what we have done: 
Climate change, the collapse of biodiversity, pollution –  
All consequences visited upon every one of your creatures. 
We repent of injustice, oppression, destruction. 

We praise you for the sun, which warms every living thing,
And we lament the droughts that endure and worsen.
We praise you for the moon, which helps balance the earth's systems,
And we lament the rising sea levels that threaten many populations.
We praise you for the wind, which maintains the water cycle vital to your creatures,
And we lament the increasingly devastating storms.
We praise you for water, without which there would be no life on earth,
And we lament the terrible floods that kill and destroy.
We praise you for fire, a purifying force and symbol of your presence for your people,
And we lament the ever-increasing fires that devour and suffocate.
We praise you for the earth, whose extravagant diversity of fruits nourishes us,
And we lament the impoverishment and pollution of the soil.

God of oppressed peoples, God of endangered species, 
You see that we are often both victims and perpetrators. 
Thank you for your grace that forgives us again and again, 
Thank you for your promise that evil will not triumph on earth or in our lives. 

Holy Spirit, you intercede for creation as it groans in the pains of childbirth, 
You hear our sighs and our suffering with and for all your creatures. 
Fill us with hope for the glorious day when all your children will be revealed, 
And everything on earth and in heaven will be set free. 

Jesus Christ, you give us the ministry of reconciliation.
You show us the way to humility, peace and self-sacrifice. 
Teach us to act out of love for our brothers and sisters, for all your creatures.
Set us in motion to proclaim your reign of justice, love and joy. 

Amen 

—contributed by David Nussbaumer, European representative on the Creation Care Task Force