WCC NEWS: Season of Creation closes—but actions will continue

As the Season of Creation officially closed on 4 October, people gathered online from across the world for a prayer service that not only recapped many green initiatives but also encouraged ongoing action to care for creation. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 05 October 2026 Speakers reflected on this year’s theme, "Living Water" (Ezekiel 47:9, 12): "Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live . . . Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing" (NRSV). Analisa Ramsahai, environmental scientist and Catholic climate activist from Trinidad and Tobago, who serves as a board director and secretary for the global Laudato Si' Movement, focused on water as connection—our connection with each other, with the earth, and with God. “Rain returns water to the earth, nourishing plants, animals and people,” she said. “But before we explore these connections, I invite you to experience water for a moment.”  She then invited those gathered to imagine—and deeply appreciate—all the ways in which water touches their lives.  Elizabeth Trice, a UK-based wildlife and conservation professional and an active environmental organizer within the Church of England, and founder of “The Seedlings Network,” expressed her appreciation for the gathering. “It’s key to look back at our beginnings,” she said, referring to water being connected with the origins of all life.  “It’s also important to remember that the voices of tomorrow are also the voices of today,” she added, noting that young people are not just carrying the future of the earth but also the present. Fr Movses (Garen) Yosolkanian, Armenian Apostolic, with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), noted that water is a gift from God, a source of life, healing, and restoration. “Yet we find ourselves in a thirsty moment in the struggle for global ecological justice,” he said. “Across the world, our water sources are threatened. What should be a source of life is increasingly becoming a source of struggle, injustice, and division.” María José Tejedor González, with the ACT Alliance, thanked the speakers, those who began and continued earth-friendly initiatives, and all those who prayed. “You all inspire us with your wisdom, hope, and witness throughout this season,” she said. “You remind us that caring for creation is a shared calling. Although today marks the end of this year’s celebration, the journey continues.” Season of Creation is the ecumenical world's month of prayer and action for creation. Beginning with “Feast of Creation in Christ” on 1 September, is a time of witness to God’s love and our human responsibility. The season forms one chapter in the World Council of Church's Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), launched in Johannesburg in 2025. Full video: October 4: Season of Creation Closing Event 2026 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