Outdoors Celebration of Creation and Responsibility for Life

The first ever such service exuded joy on a beautiful fall day, where the animals and people gathered together to praise God, remember the stories of creation, bless the animals and the harvest and the children and expectant parents, and all those who do God's work with the land -- the farmers, gardeners, and wild lands and animals specialists, the foresters and tree planters. The youth, in Scripture readings and pageantry helped us celebrate, and then encouraged by words from John Paul II, we then, as adults, as forgiveness for all of creation and life that we have failed to care for as God asked us to.

For a recap and photos, go to www.stpatrickofhudson.org and http://www.stpatrickofhudson.org/pictures.aspx

IF you wish to organize this in your community, here is the template:

Celebration of Creation
and a Responsibility for LIFE Prayer Service
Following the Model of St. Francis

Held outdoors near St. Francis’s feast day. If it rains, we will have to do the blessings of the animals first under the car port. Then go in for the service. There needs to be a mix of male and female presiders – A number of children and youth have dowels with crepe paper streamers of various colors to wave as they process up the lawn to the front for the colors of the days of creation. Rainbow kites on tall poles are used for the rainbows. Jingle bells and other kinds of bells are handed out to the youth and others to ring at the right times. Numerous confirmants, youth, and children are encouraged to read or process up with ribbons or gifts of creation in the first part of the service. Various adults from different aspects of the community are encouraged to read one of the Lord Have Mercys in the latter part of the service to involve as many people as possible.

SING: Canticle of the Sun-- (by Marty Haugen-- songbook #417) Verse 1-5; sung as people are gathering

WELCOME & OPENING PRAYER FROM PASTOR:
We welcome all of you on this beautiful fall day. We are so happy to see you --especially all of you who are visitors. Thank you for joining us!. And a special thanks to all of you who of many faiths among us, you are our honored guests.

O Divine and Mysterious Creator, we are gathered here to give praise to you for the glorious creation and life you have given us and to ask us for your Spirit and Word to guide us in caring for it all. Help us to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. Help us to care as you care, to value as you value, to love as you have loved, and to help renew the face of the earth.

SONG: Canticle of the Sun -Verse 6

DEACON or LAY MINISTER #1: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

[pause ] – Procession of youth carrying cross and yellow banner together to the front and placed behind the round table and between the two big trees.

ALL: All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being.

DEACON OR LAY MINISTER #1: “What has come into being in Him was LIFE, and the life was the LIGHT of all people.”

FEMALE LAY MINISTER: Let us now go back to the stories of our beginnings:

CONFIRMANT #1:
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep…”

[BLACK RIBBONS PROCESS UP WAVING]

CONFIRMANT #2“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light….”

[DRUM ROLL] – YELLOW RIBBONS WAVING PROCESS UP

“And God separated the light from the darkness, and… God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night”

[The yellow ribbons run to one side of the crowd and the black ribbons to the other, led by main ribbon leaders -- An individuals carrying a big image of a smiling sun on a stick and another with a moon on a stick and a number of others with stars on sticks dance and skip and twirl in to drumming….]

ALL: “AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! [Ringing of the bells, tambourines, etc.]

CONFIRMANT #3: Then God proceeded to create WATER in the Dome of the Sky and on the earth, and God separated the two of them.

( Blue ribbons waving process up ….A youth process up to the round table with a Jar of Water (holy water from the baptismal font) , and the Leaders sprinkle the people with holy water using spruce branches dipped in the water.}

CONFIRMANT #4: And the God created the land by pulling back the waters to reveal the earth….

(Brown Ribbons waving and a youth processes up with a clay pot filled with dirt.)

ALL: “AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! [Ringing of the bells, tambourines, etc.]

CONFIRMANT #5: “And God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants bearing seed of every kind and trees of every bearing fruit with seed in it.”

(Green Ribbons waving and a youth processes up with a bouquet of flowers to place on the table and on standing vase of branches with colored leaves in front of the table with the dirt and water.)

ALL: “AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! [Ringing of the bells, tambourines, etc.]

CONFIRMANT #6:
“And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swamps of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky… And God created every living thing that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swam and every winged bird of every kind…

CONFIRMANT #7: And God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind, and everything creeps upon the ground of every kind.

ALL: “AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! [Ringing of the bells, tambourines, etc.]

ASSOCIATE PASTOR – “And God blessed them” saying ‘Be fruitful and multiply!” [Bells and whistles and tambourines ring out.]

PASTOR: Let those who have pets and animals bring them forward. Also, all those who work to preserve wild species and their habitats, please stand for a blessing. Let us all put out our hands in blessing:

O God,
You have done all things wisely;
In your goodness you have made us in your image
And given us care over other living things
Which are all beautiful and precious in your eyes.
Reach out with your right hand
And grant a blessing on these and on all animals
And on us, your servants,
that we may care for them kindly and carefully,
and treat them with respect.
Thank you for all those who work to care
for your wild species and their habitats.
Bless and keep them in their holy work.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

ALL: AMEN

CONFIRMANT #8: Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have lordly care over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing …”

CONFIRMANT #9: “So God created humankind in his image, and in the image of God he created them; male and female God created them. …”

CONFIRMANT #10 : “The Lord God formed a human from the dust of the ground and breathed into the nostrils the breath of life.”

[Everyone stands to drum roll!]

ALL: AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! [Bells and whistles and musical instruments]

ASSOCIATE PASTOR: “God blessed all of human kind and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and take care over it and guide it.’”

[more bells and tambourines]

PASTOR: Now we ask all the children and expecting parents to come forth for a blessing. We also would like to ask to stand all those in our midst who work with mothers and in the Respect for Life movement, and those who work to protect families from domestic abuse. Let us all put out our hands in blessing:

Gracious Father,
Your Word,
Spoken in love, created the human family.
Hear the prayers of all gathered here to bless all these children in our midst and these parents who await the birth of their children.
Calm their fears when they are anxious
Watch over and support them,
And help us to work with you
In caring for them
So that in safely and in good health
They may praise you and glorify you with us.
And please bless all of these,
Your servants,
Who work to care for families under stress of violence and abuse
And all those who care for the unborn
And the mothers who carry these children,
Please bless their holy work.
Through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
Now and forever.

ALL: AMEN

CONFIRMANT 11: And then God said, “See, I have given into your care and use every plant, yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And every beast of the earth, and every bird of the air, and everything that has the breath of life… I put these all in your care.

God looked at everything that God had made:”

ALL: “AND GOD SAID IT WAS VERY GOOD!” {bells, whistles, ribbons waving!!}


SING: AWESOME GOD by Rich Mullins (second verse first, then first – a group of youth lead the hand gestures)

PASTOR: Now all of you who farm and bring forth life from the earth in your gardens, please bring up samples of your harvest that we may bless them and bless you in your holy work. And all those who are foresters and land conservationists, please stand as well. Let us put our hands out in blessing:

God our Creator,
Who bestows the rains of the heavens and riches of the soil,
We thank your loving majesty for this year’s harvest.
Bless those whose hands helped to bring forth the fruits of the earth.
Bless also those who tend your wild lands
And help preserve them for the future.
Bless your foresters and tree planters
Who are working to keep your lands lush and fertile.
Fill the hearts of your people with gratitude
For this harvest and these workers.
And help us ensure that from this abundance
All the hungry, the poor, and the needy may be filled with good things
And together we may all proclaim the glory of your name.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

ALL: AMEN!

CONFIRMANT 12: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitudes. And on the seventh day, God finished the work that God had done, and God RESTED on the seventh day…

MOMENT OF SILENCE

LAY PRESIDER: Let us give thanks for all that God created and for God’s caring command to rest each week to re-create our bodies and spirits:

SING: NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD (fast tempo #202 in Songbook)

[All ribbon holders stand up and weave through the crowds to the joyous music]

DEACON: God gave humans the work of loving and serving God -- taking care of each other and the earth, sharing its abundance with all the people and species. But people sinned and turned away from God, so God got angry and made it rain forty days and forty nights. [drumming sound of rain]

But God had asked Noah to save samples of the animals and his family in the ark, so that after the flood, God could renew the earth. Noah and his family gave thanks for being saved, and that is when God made a covenant with the human family and all the living creatures on the earth.

LAY PRESIDER: The Lord proclaimed “When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature that is on the earth.” God said this three times so that we would remember:

{Two rainbow kites will be processed up and put on either side of the cross bewteen the trees and behind the round table -- All the colors come out and process with them in two rings around the congregation (one on either side) and back to their seats)

ALL: “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and every living creature that is on the earth.” [All the ribbons go together in the order of a rainbow, and a rainbow banner is unwound in front. Bells and music and drumming]

ASSOCIATE PASTOR: In our day, Pope John Paul II, in his 1990 address “Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation” warned the world that we were neglecting God and God’s statues. He said “the ecological crisis is a moral crisis” and “Today the ecological crisis has assumed such proportions as to be the responsibility of everyone….

He told all of us:
An education in ecological responsibility is urgent; responsibility for oneself, for others, and for the earth. …, a true education in responsibility entails a genuine conversion in ways of thoughts and behavior…

PASTOR: Pope John Paul II told us that all humans have an “ecological vocation” but he also specifically addressed all who believe in a Creator God
, most especially Catholics, saying:

I should like to address directly my brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church, in order to remind them of their solemn obligation to care for all of creation. The commitment of believers to a healthy environment for everyone stems directly from their belief in God the Creator, from their recognition of original and personal sin, and from the certainty of having been redeemed by Christ. Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join humans in praising God….

It is my hope that the inspiration of St. Francis will help us to keep ever a sense of ‘fraternity’ with all those good and beautiful things which Almighty God has created. And may God remind us of our serious obligation to respect and watch over them with care, in the light of the greater and higher fraternity that exists within the human family.”
LAY PRESIDER: And that is why we have gathered today. To celebrate God’s creation and give Glory to our God, and also to ask for forgiveness for how we have often ignored God’s values and decrees. How we have not been the best stewards and caretakers.
ADULT #1: Lord, we have not understood or cared enough for the systems of life that you have established on the earth to sustain and comfort us. We have watched your glaciers melt, your oceans warm and rise, the earth’s storms grow more violent, and the poor people of the planet suffer the most. Yet we stand in confusion. We are afraid of change and committing ourselves to new attitudes and new energies. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #2: Lord, you have blessed us with joyous life, and children, yet we have not cared for the gifts of human life as you asked us to do. We have allowed unborn children to be aborted, and we have at times abused our youth. We have neglected the hard lives of the elderly, the sick, the dying. We have used death as a penalty for crimes. Father, please forgive us, for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #3: Lord, you have showered our country with abundance and the ingenuity and drive of many people. Yet we have not shared enough of what we harvest and produce with those who have less. Every day, every minute, children, Your children, are starving to death or they lack clean water to drink or homes to come back to. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #4: Lord, we thank you for systems of commerce that bind us together. Yet throughout our country and world, our companies and corporations have laid off record numbers of workers and then rewarded stockholder with high profits. Many in our midst long for the dignity and security of jobs and work and food and shelter and health care. In so many ways, we have valued money over people and things over relationships. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD HAVE MERCY.
ADULT #5: Lord, We thank you for our ability to produce so many beautiful, needed, artistic, and entertaining things, but we forget about the waste they make. We heap trash in your lands. We let chemicals run into your rivers and lakes; we dump waste and spill oil in your oceans. We have not cared enough about the consequences of our actions. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #6: Lord, how diverse and amazing are the many species you have put on this earth. Yet many have gone extinct because of our actions, some without us even noticing. We clear cut forests and destroy grasslands We have a hard time discerning the difference between want and need, and we struggle to know how to use the gifts of this earth without harming the beauty, diversity, and stability of your creation. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #7: Lord, just as you have blessed this earth with a diversity of species, you have blessed us with a diversity of people – red, yellow, black, and white, and so many colors in between. Yet we often struggle to see Your face in those people of Yours who are different from us – whose color or culture is different; whose religion or language or culture or country is different; whose sexual orientations or abilities are different; whose politics are different. Too often we insult, mock, marginalize, or fight them rather than try to listen, understand, and treat them with respect and dignity as your children. Father, please forgive us for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY
ADULT #8: Lord, time and time again you have asked us to live in peace, and to pass on your peace others. Yet we struggle with real fears. We have waged wars and do not know how to end them. We have used chemicals and landmines that leave your land unusable and children harmed even after the war ends. Teach us how to how to make peace in our homes, schools, communities, nation and world. Teach us how to pray for our enemies, and how to forgive and be forgiven to start afresh, as you have asked us to do. Father, please forgive us, for we know not what we do.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
SING : Kyrie Elison (Celtic) chorus
DEACON: O Lord, we so little understand the true ripple effects of all we do. We cannot see as You do. You sent us your Son to show us the Way. He called the children to come onto him. He healed the sick and the lepers, and he fed the five thousand. In the desert, the garden, and by the lakeshore he prayed. He told us how dearly His Father loves even the lilies of the field and the sparrows of the sky. But most of all, He told us how God the Creator loves us each as a parent and has asked us to take care of all of life.
FEMALE LAY PRESIDER: So Lord, please send us Your Spirit to soften our hearts, open our minds, and stand up ready to do the work that you have given us. Help us to serve more humbly and tenderly, to listen more carefully and with our hearts, and to give joyous thanks every day and every moment so that we may become peacemakers and renew the face of the earth – now and for future generations.
SING : Lord Send Out Your Spirit and Renew the Face of the Earth by Joe Zsigray [chorus plus first verse and chorus]

FEMALE LAY PRESIDER:
Our Creator has made each made us unique, with so many different talents and skills and perspectives to offer to the world to try to heal it. With the Holy Spirit energizing and guiding us, let us now, each of us, take a moment in silence to prayerfully decide in our hearts some of the things that we can commit to do today, tomorrow, this week, this year to protect this planet and all of life on it.

SILENCE

ASSOCIATE PASTOR: Now let us stand and go to the front of the church and dedicate our hearts to these tasks as we dedicate our new statute of St. Francis.

SING: THE SUMMONS: WILL YOU COME AND FOLLOW ME IF I BUT CALLYOUR NAME? .{by John L. Bell, arrangement of trad. Scottish melody by Kelvin Grove, songbook 377 )

PASTOR
O Lord, you sent your dear and loving servant St. Francis,
as a model of how to follow you,
living simply, loving You, Your Son, and all Your Creation.
He served the poor
And loved all the birds and animals
And rocks and stars and moon.
Please bless this community and
Send us your spirit to guide us
And caring for all of life from
Conception of our children to
The very systems of air, water, land, and seas, forests and climate
upon which all of this earthly life depends.
Please watch over us, and
let us not lose heart when the tasks of caring look too big and overwhelming.
In Your Name we pray, Amen

FEMALE PRESIDER:
Dear St. Francis,
remind us of the power of every day acts of kindness, love, and caring.
Just as you rebuilt God’s Church with your example,
help us do the same.
Inspire us with new energy in our hearts, new ways in our thoughts,
new actions in our lives, and a new unity to work together.
Lead us on the paths to act now so we can pass on to our children and our children’s children and their children a livable, abundant, fertile, and still beautiful planet on which to live.
Through Jesus’s name we pray,
Amen.

Now, like St. Francis, let us pray or sing this each day in our hearts:

SING: PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS by Sebastian Temple (song book #495)