The Season of Creation is a month-long prayerful observance that calls upon Catholics to pray and care for God's Creation. It starts September 1 and ends October 4th. It's a time to reflect on our relationship with the environment, how we live, and how our lifestyles impact the natural world, humans and other creature inhabiting it. This “time for creation” offers, in the words of Pope Francis, “individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation...".
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us that “we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of Creation”. Pope Francis urges us to recognize our connectedness with the natural world saying, "Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it." (LS 139). Advocating for Creation Care helps safeguard the inheritance the Creator has given us, ... an inheritance essential to our well-being. Pope Benedict XVI told us that protecting this inheritance is a way of fulfilling our role as stewards of Creation.
The Human Concerns Commission discerns and responds to the needs of the people within the parish, out in the community, and throughout the world. It identifies resources to meet their needs and enlist the active cooperation of parishioners. The members collaborate with the pastor, staff, and other organizations in the following ways: direct service, advocacy, social justice, social bridging, and empowerment of people. Meetings are monthly and discuss a number of topics including the following: