Time of Prayer for the Day of Creation
We invite you to register for the Prayer Service for Creation Day, which will take place on 1 September 2026 at 3.00 pm Rome (Italy) time. Link for the inscription September 1st: Prayer Service for Creation Day Other times: Africa Accra (Ghana): 1:00 PM Tunis (Tunisia), Algiers (Algeria), Casablanca (Morocco), Lagos (Nigeria), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Luanda (Angola) and Douala (Cameroon): 2:00 PM Johannesburg (South Africa) and Harare (Zimbabwe): 3:00 PM Cairo (Egypt), Nairobi (Kenya), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania): 4:00 PM America Los Angeles (USA): 6:00 AM Chicago (USA), Bogota (Colombia), Lima (Peru) and Quito (Ecuador): 8:00 AM New York (USA), Caracas (Venezuela), La Paz (Bolivia), Santiago (Chile), Asuncion (Paraguay), Manaus (Amazon Time): 9:00 AM Buenos Aires (Argentina): Montevideo (Uruguay), Brasilia / Sao Paulo / Rio de Janeiro (Brasil): 10:00 AM Europe London (UK): 2:00 PM Paris / Berlin (Central Europe): 3:00 PM Athens (Greece): 4:00 PM Asia…
Let’s get ready for the Season of Creation 2026
Season of Creation is a time (September 1 – October 4) for Christians to come together in prayer and action for Creation Our Biblical text for this year is drawn from Ezekiel 47: 1- 12, which portrays God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. The river grows deeper and deeper restoring barren land, reviving waters, and sustaining flourishing ecosystems. The vision invites human responsibility: recognising ecological damage, embracing interconnectedness, we are called to immerse ourselves in the water, and actively safeguarding and working for the renewal of creation so that environmental healing and human well-being may flourish together. Every act of care for creation becomes part of a global stream of hope. Prepare your community with the Guide that you can dowload at this link Season of Creation Celebration Guide 2026 After you can share how your parish, school, community, or organization is celebrating the Season…
10 Actions You Can Take on Laudato Si’ week
Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out… that we can always do something.” Laudato Si’, 61 Laudato Si’ Week is a global moment when Catholics turn hope into action for our common home. Whether you are an individual, parish, school, religious community, or institution, you are invited to take one concrete step for integral ecology and make it count through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Choose one action that fits your context and begin this week! Responding to the Cry of the Earth 1. Reduce your community’s energy use this week Identify one immediate way to reduce energy consumption. Examples: • Turn off unnecessary lighting in unused spaces • Adjust heating or cooling slightly • Launch a commitment to reduce electricity use for the next month Parishes, schools, and institutions can begin reviewing energy usage and setting a reduction goal. 2. Restore local…
A tree for each child
By the community of Nouakchott in Mauritania In the Sahel, the region south of the Sahara Desert, the advancement of desert sands is threatening homes and farming fields. A big Pan African Plan has been promoted to fight the desertification and residents all over the region are planting a “Great Green Wall” hoping to slow down the process. The project started in 2007 and all neighboring countries are engaged in this great challenge. By 2024, around 30 million hectares had been restored, representing 30% of the target set. This large-scale project faces numerous challenges, such as a lack of funding and locust swarms, but also, and this has been the most worrying development in recent times, terrorist threats and a lack of political leadership. To know more you can visit the Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Green_Wall_(Africa) In Mauritania our sisters have been planting trees for many years now, in…
Doing what you (tin)can
Sr Leny on her rounds Sr Leny Droogh, who is 90 years young, has a daily task she has carefully chosen. When she walks to church every morning at 9 o’clock with her rollator, she picks up every plastic bottle and tin can that she can find, in the grass along the road or in the garbage bins. On the way from the church coming back home to the Wereldhuis, she does the same. She also does this when she goes to the supermarket for shopping. Then she goes to the recycling spot in the market and she gets a refund based on the amount of cans and plastic bottles. Last year the refunds all added up to more than 1.200 euros! She divides this well-earned money among all kinds of good initiatives, like a local project for vulnerable people or a mission project in Africa and…
A very modest commitment to recycling and care
Srs Maria del Carmen García Sedeño, Juana-Maria Gomez Rodriguez et Adoración Bolívar Castro with another resident We close the year 2025 with an article from our sisters Maria del Carmen García Sedeño, Juana-Maria Gomez Rodriguez et Adoración Bolívar Castro in Málaga, Spain, that shows how the smallest gesture can make a difference and start a change for us and for our communities. For several years now, we have been living at the Madre Carmen residence for the elderly in Málaga, Spain. At present, there are three White Sisters living here. Our residence is very good, and we like it a great deal. It is considered one of the best residences in our region. However, since our arrival, something has struck us: our residence does not recycle all the waste it produces every day, and we can assure you, there is a lot of it! At the…
Season of Creation 2025
Season of Creation is a time (September 1 – October 4) for Christians to come together in prayer and action for Creation. The theme for Season of Creation this year is Peace with Creation Our Biblical text for this year is 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. The Symbol for 2025 is the Garden of…
“Sister, Can I Have My Tree?”: Planting Hope in Northern Uganda
By Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska – Ukusijoni, Uganda In the sun bathed lands of Northern Uganda, the changing climate is no longer just a distant topic—it’s a daily reality. Dry seasons have become longer and hotter, trees are disappearing due to charcoal burning and construction needs, and the air grows dustier by the day. In this challenging context, a seed of hope was planted – both literally and figuratively. The idea was born during an online training for JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation) animators, organized by the JPIC Commission of UISG and USG. Inspired and energized by the session, we felt called to act – starting with something small, yet deeply meaningful: trees. As a team of missionaries, we organized an awareness sessions and tree distribution campaign in the refugee settlements of Maaji and Agojo. Our goal was simple—to educate about the importance of trees and provide…
The Hidden Legacy of Missionary Sisters in Natural Sciences
Sr Gisela Schreyer presents the Scientific Approach of Missionary Sisters: A Forgotten Treasure When Mission Met Scientific Observation Cardinal Charles Lavigerie strongly encouraged his missionaries — Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters — to engage deeply with the countries they were sent to: learning the language, understanding the culture, and documenting anything of interest, including scientific observations. Although the Sisters, unlike the Fathers, did not receive specialized training, some took a great interest in these fields and began to document what they learned from local communities. A Precious Discovery in the Archives Among these documents are preserved collections of medicinal plants and natural dyes, used notably in the crafting of traditional carpets. These rare materials were rediscovered by historian Mme Catherine Marin, who authored a book on Mother Marie Salomé, during one of her visits to Rome. She invited me to present these treasures during a Missionary Documentation Day in…
When Patience Takes Root
When Patience Takes Root: A Community Journey Through a Sunflower As we grow older, patience is often put to the test: receiving care, waiting for the elevator, living in close community… One day, Sr. Monique Bonami, from our Saint-Joseph community, shared her struggle with impatience—her own and that of others. Together, we decided to reflect on this theme as a community. 🌱 Sowing to Learn At our first meeting, each Sister received a sunflower seed to plant, a Bible verse on patience to meditate on daily, and an envelope with reflection questions to open ten days later. The goal? To observe our own patience during the germination process and compare it to the patience we need in daily life with one another. 🌻 From Seed to Awareness At our second gathering, we shared our experiences. Most described a confident, joyful waiting. Two Sisters felt some anxiety: “Why…