During the Season of Creation which runs from September 1st to October 4th each year, Christians across the globe unite in prayer and action for our common home. This year the theme is Living Waters, drawn from Ezekiel 41:1-12, which depicts God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. It is a river of abundance that restores, revives and revitalises our land and our ecosystems, and it’s a vision that invites every one of us to take responsibility, recognise the damage to our earth and embrace the interconnectedness of all things. The call this year is to be immersed in this living water so that the healing of our earth and our human wellbeing would flourish together.
The Season of Creation provides an opportunity to pause and consider the ways in which our lives are intimately connected with the natural world. Water, in particular, is a powerful reminder of this interconnectedness. It sustains human life, communities and ecosystems, yet across the world rivers, oceans and waterways are increasingly threatened by pollution, climate change, over-extraction and destructive human activity. At the same time, those who have contributed least to environmental destruction are often among those who experience its greatest consequences.
For the Columban Missionaries, this season resonates deeply with our mission priorities of biodiversity protection and restoration, and accompanying migrants and refugees. The climate and ecological crisis affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities first, while environmental destruction can force people from their homes. Through our work, we seek to protect creation, stand alongside communities affected by environmental injustice, and encourage action rooted in the vision of Laudato Si’ – caring for our common home and all who share it.
The Season of Creation is therefore not simply a time to think about the environment; it is an invitation to conversion and to respond to ‘the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.’ It challenges us to listen to the voices of communities living on the frontlines of the ecological crisis and to ask how our faith can lead us towards greater care, justice and solidarity.
Columbans around the world decided to work together to write a hymn for the Season of Creation this year, with the hope that we all may renew our commitment to care for God’s creation. It has been written collaboratively between Marjorie Engcoy, a previous Columban Lay Missionary in Fiji and now working in the Philippines, Fr. Kurt Zion Pala who lives and works in Myanmar and Aung Li, a Columban student from Myanmar. Fr. Pat Visanti who is a Fijian on mission in Pakistan, James Trewby, Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Co-ordinator in Britain and Catherine Bridgwood, a previous Faith in Action Volunteer with the Columbans in Britain were also part of the team.
“Though we live in different places, we all stand beneath the same blue sky and are connected by the living waters of our Common Home. When the Earth suffers, the poor suffer with it-and so do we.” explains Marjorie Engcoy.
Fr. Kurt Zion Pala adds, “As a Columban working in Myanmar, a country rich in natural resources and with many great rivers that flow through its land, but a land also ravaged by destructive mining activities that pollute both the land and its rivers, this song is very relevant to me. Songs have a way of leading us into home – our hearts and our Common Home the Earth. I hope this song of our rivers awaken in us a deeper love for Creation, draw us closer to one another, and remind us that, like the waters that flow together, we too are connected in one shared journey of life.”
Having thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with fellow Columbans James Trewby says, “What a joy it has been to be creative together, across countries and cultures. We look forward to this hymn for creation being sung all around the world. As we stand in international solidarity with those crying out for peace and justice, we pray that we will together learn the language of love that cares for creation, drawing us into God’s river of living waters.”
A range of resources are available for individuals, schools, parish, youth and music groups to download here. This includes two recordings (the full hymn and a backing track), the musical score, and the lyrics in both text and slide format. We encourage you to use these resources freely to support your Season of Creation celebrations, worship and promotion.
The hymn is itself an expression of the international nature of Columban mission. People from different countries, cultures and experiences have come together through music to reflect on a concern that belongs to all of us. Like the rivers that cross borders and connect communities, creation reminds us that our lives cannot be separated from one another.
Perhaps this is one of the most important messages of the Season of Creation: we are connected. What happens to a river, forest, coastline or community does not remain isolated. The choices we make can have consequences far beyond our own immediate surroundings, just as the actions of others can affect communities thousands of miles away.
We look forward to this hymn for creation being sung all around the world. As we stand in international solidarity with those crying out for peace and justice, we pray that we will together learn the language of love that cares for creation, drawing us into God’s river of living waters.
May this Season of Creation inspire us not only to sing about living waters, but to become people who protect, restore and cherish the waters and all life that depends upon them.
