03 June 2021
Dear People of God,
The world is in an ecological emergency with spiraling global warming and biodiversity loss alongside a worsening global pandemic. Ecological instability is resulting in the alarming loss of habitats that are homes for millions of species, including humans whose homes are at risk due to climate conflict, loss and damage. As people of faith, our baptismal call compels us to participate in the renewal of the whole inhabited arth, so that all living beings may have a just and sustainable home.
To continually remind us of this, the Season of Creation was sanctioned by Pope Francis in 2015 when His Holiness declared 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. That same year, His Holiness wrote the acclaimed encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home“.
Year after year, the Season of Creation has been celebrated by over two billion Christians from different denominations worldwide. In the document entitled “Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home: Five Years After Laudato Si‘,” the Vatican noted that participation in this annual initiative will help “the faithful understand and integrate care of creation as an essential part of our Christian vocation.”
We are thankful that through the respective diocesan Creation Justice Commissions, the Season of Creation, Laudato Si’ Week (16-24 May) and Year 1 of the “Protect Our Earth, Protect Our Children (PROTEC)” Campaign have been celebrated in many ways. PROTEC (2020-2025) was launched on 1 September 2020 Malaysia-wide by the Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice, expressly sanctioned by the Catholic Bishops of Malaysia. It runs for five years with a different theme each year.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei wishes to call upon all the faithful in all our dioceses to celebrate fully the Season of Creation and the PROTEC Campaign this year and in succeeding years. The current themes are as follows:
- The theme of the 2021 Season of Creation (1 Sept to 4 Oct 2021) is:
“A home for all? Renewing the oikos of God”
Within the whole inhabited Earth (oikoumene), the Church (oikoumene) calls all households and societies (oikos) to turn our political, social and economic systems (oikonomia) towards just, sustainable economies of life, which respect the limits and life-giving ecological boundaries (oikologia) of our common home. (See website: seasonofcreation.org)
2. The theme for PROTEC Campaign Year2 (1 Sept 2021 – 31 Aug 2022) is:
Cut down meat, dairy and food waste
We call upon all the faithful in our countries to renew our baptismal call to love all creation and adopt an ecological way of being and living in oneness with all created beings so that all life may flourish in our common home.
“Send forth Your Spirit O Lord and renew the face of the Earth”
(Psalm 104:30)
Signed by
Rt. Rev. Bishop Sebastian Francis, President,
Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei
Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Hii, President,
Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei
