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The Season of Creation is a month-long observance (1 September - 4 October) that calls on Christians to reflect on our lifestyles and the impact these have on the environment and to take action for our world. In his message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation which marks the commencement of the season, Pope Francis calls on us to to heal our common home "so that it can once again teem with life". We can do this he says "by resolving to transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies". In parallel with this, the Pope says, is "the Catholic Church’s commitment to synodality....In the same way that a river gives life to all kinds of animal and plant life, a synodal Church must give life by sowing justice and peace in every place it reaches"  On 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assissi, Pope Francis will release will release a second part to his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ in an effort "to address current problems”, taking into account recent climate crises. October 4 also marks the opening of the first session of the Synod in Rome. The call of the Synod, a meeting of the universal Catholic Church, is to: Communion, Participation and Mission. During the nearly month-long Vatican assembly, the 364 delegates, including two Sisters of Mercy, Elizabeth Davis rsm (Newfoundland) and Angela Perez rsm (Americas), will discuss questions posed in the recently released document Instrumentum Laboris, the “priorities that emerged from listening to the People of God” in the global Synod process thus far.
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