“The celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Easter of Francis of Assisi invites us to contemplate our life both personally and communally with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situation we have experienced or are experiencing now.”
[Conference of the Franciscan Family Centenary Guide, 2023-2026]
Join us on this journey of faith, unity, harmony, love, and life.
Wheaton Franciscan Season of Creation PRAYER
Holy One, whose Spirit hovered over the waters at the beginning, we gather as part of your community of creation, thirsty for your grace. We give thanks for the gift of water, the veins of our common home, that sustains our kin — the cedar and the whale, the pasture and the city.
We are grateful for the local waters that nourish our homelands and our fellow creatures. We give thanks that in your well-watered garden, every drop is a sacred testament to your love.
Yet, we confess that we have treated this gift as a mere commodity. We have choked the seas with our waste and watched the warming tides rise in judgment. We lament the cracked earth of the drought-stricken and the salty tears of the climate refugee. Melt our frozen hearts, O God, and let the waters of repentance flow.
Giver of all Life, you promised that wherever the river flows, everything shall live. Stir in us a calling to care for the waters — to protect the watershed, defend the rights of water, and honor the dignity of the thirsty. May your Word be a spring within us, gushing forth for the healing of the nations.
May God our Creator who brought water from the rock sustain us in the desert. May Christ our Brother who is Living Water refresh us for the work of restoration. And may the Holy Spirit carry us on currents of grace and kinship until justice flows like an ever-flowing stream. Amen.
Season of Creation 2026 International Prayer Adapted by the Wheaton Franciscan
“Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. […] Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
Ezekial 47:9,12
2026 Season of Creation Reflections
Each week during Season of Creation, a new reflection will be added to this section.
Happy Season of Creation 2026,
September 1 marks the beginning of the annual ecumenical Season of Creation, which runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, animals, peace, and families. In 2015, Pope Francis officially embraced the Season to encourage prayer, ecological conversion, and action for our common home.
This year, the Wheaton Franciscans are celebrating the Season of Creation through the lens of the 800th anniversary of the Easter of St. Francis. Through his lifelong conversion, Francis saw God’s presence everywhere and believed creation is a gift—brother and sister, kin.
Our Season of Creation 2026 is guided by three focal themes: “Transformed by Hope: BE Kin,” which reminds us that we are connected and interdependent; Pope Leo’s call to prioritize development and sustainability over violence and destruction; and “Living Water,” drawn from Ezekiel 47:9 and 12, offering a vision of hope and ecological healing.
We invite you to join us in prayer and action for our common home, and for ecological healing rooted in peace and nonviolence. We are kin—and it is only together that we can sow hope and help spread peace throughout God’s kin-dom.
Peace and All Good,
Jeanne Connolly, Covenant Companion
Director of Charism and Mission
What happens when we lift our gaze
By Sharon Niemet, Covenant Companion
My mom loved sharing the story of Father Damian and the lepers with me. The young Belgian priest arrived on Molokai (Hawaii) in 1873 to care for hundreds of abandoned lepers, understanding that he would never leave.
I was both fascinated and horrified at the sacrifice made by Damian. In my child’s mind, I turned the priest into a dashing Hollywood hero–and never tried to visualize the lepers themselves. In other words, I averted my eyes from their immense needs.
Just as St. Francis avoided lepers in his early life, many of us want to sidestep the painful, the mentally ill, the poor, the lost, the “other.” As we walk past an unhoused person, it is tempting to look away and pretend the person isn’t there. Or we distance ourselves from people in need by making generous donations rather than gazing into their faces and having conversations with them. Yes, it is easy to monetize but much harder to empathize.
When we don’t avert our eyes, what might happen? Perhaps our eyes lock for a moment or a small smile appears. Maybe a tentative conversation begins, blooming into real sharing.
As followers of Francis, we are asked to open our hearts to genuine connections with those in need.
And it may all begin with lifting our gaze and saying “hello.”
Reflection questions:
- Who are the “lepers” in your life? Why do you avoid them?
- When have you overcome your fear to reach out to “the other?” How did it feel to connect?
Living Water
By Jeanne Connolly, Covenant Companion
Early stories of St. Francis capture a Spirit-filled time rather than factual history. In the Miracle of the Spring, courage, humility, trust, and gratitude flow like living water, a Spirit desperately needed in our world today.
The simple peasant chose to speak honestly to a widely admired holy man, daring to voice his heart. Unoffended, St. Francis received the advice as a grace, modeling an open heart ready to learn from anyone.
In Christian tradition, water from a rock symbolizes Christ, grace, nourishment, and mercy. Francis trusts God and his prayer is not for recognition, but for nourishing water for his suffering companion. In that freely given gift, gratitude becomes the only faithful response.
Rather than merely imitating the crucified Christ, St. Francis chose to follow in his footsteps. We are also invited, through the ongoing conversion of mind and heart, to step into the Living Water. When we respond with humility, trust, and gratitude, we contribute to a more just and life-giving world for the entire human family and for non-human creation.
Reflection Questions
- Do you feel brave enough to speak honestly to people in power? If not, what grace are you seeking?
- How do you respond when someone gives you advice, particularly if that person is of “lower” status than you?
- What miracles have you experienced today? Did you pause to express gratitude?
- What are 2 or 3 ways you might contribute to a more just and life-giving world?
2026 Season of Creation Resources
- SeasonofCreation.org
- Event: Franciscan Friends of the Fox River – Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. – Noon
- Season of Creation 2026 Letter from Pope Leo XIV
Season of Creation Events
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
International Prayer Service for Creation Day
8 a.m. Chicago / 9 a.m. New York / 6 p.m. Los Angeles / 4 p.m. Nairobi / 9 p.m. Manila – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnho_aeql2w
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Opening Season of Creation Mass — Who Are the Lepers Today?
10:30 a.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Coffee & with special guest from the Coalition of Spiritual and Public Leadership
In Promenade following Mass
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Taizé Prayer Service
7:00 p.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Mass — Living Water, International Solidarity
10:30 a.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Mass — Kinship with all Creation
10:30 a.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Mass — Peace and Nonviolence
10:30 a.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Transitus Prayer Service —
The 800th Anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi Passing into New Life
6:30 p.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Celebratory Mass — Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
10:30 a.m. CT – Our Lady of the Angels Chapel
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Francis Fest!
Continue the 800th anniversary celebration after Mass with a festive afternoon filled with delicious food, inspiring storytelling, and vibrant community spirit.
Our Lady of the Angels Promenade and Auditorium 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.