Diane Schaefer, left, and Suzie Shaw pose for a photo holding a poster for the upcoming Season of Creation Mass outside St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus on Tuesday.
It seems fitting that a local church nurturing a pollinator garden, regularly celebrating Earth Day and presenting free ecological discussions will host a special Season of Creation Mass at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24.
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church will be the first Roman Catholic body of believers outside the Indianapolis area to host the service, according to leaders in the Indianapolis archdiocese. That entity is the Catholic governing body for this portion of Indiana, as well as southern, southeastern and portions of central Indiana. Archbishop Charles C. Thompson will celebrate the Mass.
The Season of Creation, which unfolds from from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, is an annual celebration for what St. Bartholomew members say is a time “for all people to pray and respond to the care of our common home.”
Plus, St. Bartholomew leaders say “it is a time for the ecumenical family to reflect and act on how we as human beings care for the earth and its resources.”
The theme for this year’s event, “To hope and act with creation,” is inspired by Romans 8:19-25.
That passage in part emphasizes “that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
Care For Our Common Home is the name of St. Bartholomew’s ecologically themed ministry. It is hosting the Sept. 24 Mass in conjunction with The Creation Care Ministry of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The gathering is open to people of all faiths, and the local church also is extending written invitations to a range of area church leaders.
Diane Schafer, a St. Bartholomew pastoral associate and a member of Care For Our Common Home, mentioned that some of the basics of a biblical ecology, according to Pope Francis, can be summarized simply.
“When we care for our planet, we care for each other,” Schafer said.
She acknowledged that she is a relative newcomer to something of the green movement, making an effort to eat fresh food, for example.
“God gave us this world to care for, and that’s certainly not just a Catholic thing,” Schafer said.
Suzie Shaw chairs the Season of Creation ministry that began with a Lenten Bible study in 2021 and is under the banner of the parish’s Our Faith In Action outreach (formerly the Peace and Justice Ministry).
“I see this as a time to reflect on all the resources and all the gifts that God has given us,” Shaw said. “And it’s a time to consider how we as human beings are using those gifts, and to ask questions such as ‘Are we being good stewards of those resources and gifts?’ … And doesn’t it just make sense that we cannot abuse the resources that we have?”
The music of the scheduled Mass will include an approximate 60-member choir of St. Bartholomew adults, teens and children, plus members of the community, according to Bogdan Minut, music minister. The archbishop already has emphasized that young people should be a key part of the service and of a following reception.
The choral group will perform musical selections inspired by Pope Francis’ letters, “Laudato Si’” and “Laudate Deum,” (“Praise Be” and “Praise God”) on themes of care for creation, poverty, and solidarity.
The music also was presented at the church on Earth Day, April 22.
“This program encourages audiences to hear and respond to both the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, reminding us all of the importance to care for the environment and one another,” Minut said in the spring.
He added this week that even the most basic details of the service, such as the choir eschewing printed music sheets or related materials, will symbolize better caring for the Earth through conservation.
“We’re emphasizing that God’s Earth is important not to just Christians, but to everybody — to all people,” Minut said. “But it is presented via music in an artistic and liturgical form.”
Minut added that, while his musical selections highlight elements of caring for the environment, there are limitations.
“We’re not going to tell people to buy an electric car,” he said with a chuckle.
