Theme: Peace with Creation:
Each year, the Season of Creation Ecumenical Steering Committee proposes a theme for the Season of Creation. This year’s theme is “Peace with Creation,” inspired by Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah pictured the desolated Creation without peace because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. This description of devastated cities and wastelands eloquently stresses the fact that human destructive behaviours have a negative impact on the Earth.
Our hope: Creation will find peace when justice is restored. There is still hope and the expectation for a peaceful Earth.
To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but to act, pray, change, and reconcile with Creation and the Creator in unity, metanoia (repentance), and solidarity.
Creation is God’s sacred gift, entrusted to our care. Christians are called to protect and nurture Creation in peace, working in partnership with others and passing this responsibility on to future generations. Its deep interconnectedness makes peace both essential and fragile.
10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation: Seeds of Peace & Hope:
In his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Sept. 1, 2025, Pope Leo XIV wrote: “The theme of this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, chosen by our beloved Pope Francis, is “Seeds of Peace and Hope”. On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of this Day of Prayer, which coincided with the publication of the Encyclical Laudato Si’, we find ourselves celebrating the present Jubilee as “Pilgrims of Hope.” This year’s theme thus appears most timely.
In proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Jesus often used the image of the seed. As the time of his Passion drew near, he applied that image to himself, comparing himself to the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit (cf. Jn 12:24). Seeds are buried in the earth, and there, to our wonder, life springs up, even in the most unexpected places, pointing to the promise of new beginnings. We can think, for example, of flowers springing up on our roadsides from seeds that landed up there almost by chance. As those flowers grow, they brighten the gray tarmac and even manage to break through its hard surface.
In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed, “seeds of peace and hope.”
Deacon DeGano delivers profound homily at Laudato Si Anniversary Mass:
On June 1, the diocese honored the 10th anniversary of the release of Laudato Si’ with a special outdoor Mass at the Oracle Oaks Lodge in the Oak Glen Preserve celebrated by Bishop Alberto Rojas. Deacon John DeGano from St. Catherine of Alexandria, Riverside, assisted during the Mass and delivered a profound homily, which an abridged version can be read below:
We gather today in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, wondering perhaps if Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment is making any difference. Are we too late? Can we catch the spirit once again and go forth from here emboldened full of joy and empowered to transform our world as the apostles did theirs? Now at the time when Laudato Si’ was written, Pope Francis called our attention back to the interconnectedness of all of creation. He raised the issue of integral ecology, where he said that we are not faced with two crises, one social and the other environmental, but one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. He linked for us the destruction of the environment with the rise in poverty, saying if we protect nature, we restore dignity to the excluded. And he argued for development that does not prioritize economic growth and technical progress above all else. Treating people as disposable and the planet as something to be plundered without regard for the needs of the poor or future generations.
The bigger problem, they say, is the lack of will of the people. In other words, the blame is with the social component of the crisis. It requires attitudinal change, which scientists admit that they are not equipped to handle. They admit this and they look to the faith communities to address the social crisis and they are not wrong. As people of faith, we have a strong connection to nature and creation.
To view the entire homily please visit the diocesan YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/sanbernardinodiocese
Decree of Pope Leo XIV on the Mass for the Care of Creation:
On July 3, during the 10th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Leo XIV promulgated the Decree for the Missa pro custodia creation is (“Mass for the Care of Creation”).
This new formulary of the Roman Missal is included in the Masses for “various needs and occasions.”
The decree of the Mass for the Care of Creation was published in Latin. The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has provided some “working translations” for the Episcopal Conferences, which are responsible for providing the translation appropriate to their area.
Pope Leo XIV used the new Mass formula for the care of Creation on July 9, 2025, in a private Eucharist he celebrated at Laudato Si’ Village during his vacation in Castel Gandolfo.
Jubilee of Creation: A Pilgrimage of Hope for the Care of Creation:
In honor of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Diocese of San Bernardino Laudato Si’ Committee is coordinating, “Jubilee of Creation: A Pilgrimage of Hope for the Care of Creation - to the Beauty of the Desert & the Salton Sea!” Nov. 15-16. This journey will offer an opportunity to witness our call to care for our common home, contemplate the gift of God’s creation in the beauty of the desert, and pray for greater commitment to the promotion of integral ecology and human flourishing. As a “Call to Unity,” the journey will conclude at Desert Shores, where we will join a similar pilgrim group from the Diocese of San Diego for Mass and celebration on Sunday, November 16. The Salton Sea is located in southeastern California, its northern half in the Diocese of San Bernardino and its southern half in the Diocese of San Diego.