WCC News: Feast of Creation webinar unites churches across time zones on 18–19 March

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and 13 partner world communions invite church leaders, liturgists, ecumenical officers, and all who are interested to join an online webinar on 18 and 19 March. Titled "A New Liturgical Feast, a Gift for the Third Millennium," the event brings together churches across Christian traditions to explore a proposal that could reshape how the global church honours creation for generations to come. Photo: Season of Creation 18 March 2026 WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay has spoken directly to why this moment matters: "In a world fractured by conflicts that wound both humanity and the earth, the new Feast of Creation calls people of faiths to stand together in humility, protecting nature, revering the Creator, and nurturing peace among all Creation who dwell in it. Creation is the shared gift of the one God Creator. Respect for the Creator must be reflected in our collective care for creation and worship." At the heart of the webinar is a far-reaching ecumenical proposal: to elevate the Feast of Creation - observed on 1 September or the first Sunday of that month - to a formal liturgical feast across all Christian denominational calendars. The conversation has been building since 2024, through ecumenical dialogues in Assisi, Italy, chaired by the WCC together with those 13 communions. Its roots go deeper still - into the Eastern Orthodox tradition's ancient liturgical symbolism for 1 September - and it finds new energy in the centenary of the Council of Nicaea. Participants will get a full account of how the proposal came together, practical guidance for integrating the feast into their own church's calendar, and breakout sessions tailored to individual communions. Because the organisers want no one left out by geography or time zone, the full programme runs twice.  On 18 March: 08:00 Lagos / 09:00 Cairo / 12:30 Delhi / 14:00 Jakarta / 15:00 Manila / 16:00 Seoul and Perth / 18:00 Sydney / 19:00 Fiji.  On 19 March: 08:00 Los Angeles / 09:00 Mexico City / 11:00 New York City / 12:00 Rio de Janeiro / 15:00 London / 16:00 Berlin and Lagos / 18:00 Nairobi. Register at www.bit.ly/feastofcreation26. The webinar is open to all who are interested - and worth sharing widely before the first session begins. Watch the live streaming at the WCC YouTube channel here See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland