Season of Creation 2026
Caring for Creation at a time of crisis:
how should we live?
1 September - 4 October
Why the Season of Creation matters to our Community
Each year, Christians around the world mark the Season of Creation. It is a time of prayer, reflection and action for our common home. For the Lay Community of St Benedict (LCSB), this season is deeply connected to our Benedictine way of life. See below for our Community prayers and talks.
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For Benedictines, creation is not just a resource, it is a sign of God’s presence and love. Living the Rule today means taking responsibility for the earth and passing it on in good health to future generations.
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Conversion of life means ongoing transformation. Today, that includes ecological conversion: changing our habits so that they are life-giving for the earth and for those living in poverty. This Season of Creation, we invite all to join us in prayer and action, so that together we may grow in peace with creation.
​​​Lay Community prayer during the Season of Creation
​​During the Season of Creation, at morning prayer (Lauds) and evening prayer (Vespers), our Community will be praying for creation, and our Sunday evening services at 6pm, especially on 30 August and 4 October, will have a specific Season of Creation focus. If you're interested in joining these evening services, we'll provide the joining link here each Sunday.
Sunday 30 August evening prayer at 6pm
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Fr Chris Dobson, from our Community, will give an introduction to the season and to the theme as part of our regular Sunday evening prayer.
Sunday 4 October evening prayer at 6pm
Our Sunday evening Community prayer will conclude the Season, and we'll celebrate St Francis on the 800th anniversary of his death.
Our Community prayer for creation
God of love,
Your creation is full of wonders. It gives us life and sustains us. We are constantly amazed by the grace and beauty of the world around us, and we tremble as we learn ever more of the intricate and delicate connections between ourselves and each element of the natural world, and become ever more aware of our dependency upon it.
We know that the way we live today, in particular in the richer countries of the world, continues to do great harm to your creation, and by so doing, harms many of our sisters and brothers around the world, as well as leaving a corrupted legacy for future generations.
We ask for your grace so that we can be honest about the harms we do, and find new ways of living that will consume and waste less, and share more, so that your wonderful creation may be restored and enhanced for the benefit of all.
We ask all of this in the name of Jesus our Saviour.
Amen
Talks hosted by the Lay Community of St Benedict
All are welcome to come along to one or both of our online talks; just register and you'll receive the joining links.
Sunday 13 September 6pm
The importance of insects in God's creation:
a photographic journey through one wildlife-friendly garden
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Anna Mace-Leska, a Community member, will share a selection of photographs taken in her own garden, celebrating the remarkable diversity and beauty of the insect world.
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Through stories and images, Anna will explore how these creatures are either not seen, or are regarded as a pest or nuisance, rather than how they play a vital role in sustaining life and maintaining healthy ecosystems. With insect populations declining across the UK, Anna will invite us to see God's creation with fresh eyes and to see how we can help.
Sunday 27 September 6pm
Caring for God’s creation by farming: the call to an ‘integral agroecology'
Austen Ivereigh, author, journalist and commentator, will share his thoughts on a call to integral agroecology, looking closely at Pope Francis' seminal encyclical Laudato Si', 238, 239, 240, and Pope Leo's first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, 127, 128. We invite you to read those extracts before his talk.