The Season of Creation begins today, 1 September, the designated Catholic World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The 4 October feast of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, marks the season’s end. It is a time for Christians across the globe to unite in prayer, reflection and action for the care of our common home.
In the southern hemisphere, the season coincides with spring. Already we see around us the golden wattles blooming as yellow daffodils emerge from the winter soil and birds carol in the ever-earlier dawn light. For all the sadness we might feel about the environmental crises we are facing, the Earth is our gift from God, and something to celebrate.
‘All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents,’ wrote Pope Francis in Laudato Si’.
This Season of Creation, here are five sources of inspiration—books and poetry, photography, film and podcasts—to help you reflect on creation and your place within it.
Nature can awaken wonder, offer solace and renew our sense of perspective. Yet as we deepen our connection with the natural world, we are also confronted by the growing challenges facing our planet, from climate change to the loss of biodiversity.
In the anthology, On This Ground: Best Australian Nature Writing, Australian writers explore our complex and evolving relationship with the natural world. Edited by Dave Witty, author of the acclaimed What the Trees See, and published in 2024, On This Ground is a contemporary examination of what history and Indigenous knowledge can tell us about the environment.
A Eureka Street review notes that ‘Witty and the contributors pay close attention to the natural world … their attentiveness sows the seeds of hope in celebrating such a beautiful world and committing ourselves to its preservation.’
Poetry invokes the beauty of nature in ways other literature cannot. Here, the Catholic poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins writes in what became his posthumous trademark innovative, God-centred style about spring. The poem is set in England’s famed lush greenery, but in Hopkins’ Victorian era, industrialisation was already changing what spring looked like for some.
Nature photography captures true beauty like nothing else. But it also has a vital role to play in protecting the planet.
Australian Geopgraphic, in announcing this year’s nature photography of the year awards, writes that photography gives the natural world a visibility that defies us not to care. ‘A camera and a considered eye bring these elements together. In an era when so much has already been photographed and imagery is increasingly drawing on artificial intelligence tools, the ability to capture and present authentic images has never been more critical.’
The 2026 winners are stunning. Just two of the many entries below—a solitary fairy tern flying over the ocean at dusk, and a spiny leaf insect photographed in a suburban backyard—capture the breadth of beauty of the animal kingdom.
The World Nature Photography Awards entrants are equally beautiful. The international competition sees itself as a force to bring people together to effect change. ‘We believe that we can all make small efforts to shape the future of our planet in a positive way and photography can go a long way in influencing people to see the world from a different perspective and change their own habits for the good of the planet,’ the competition organisers write.
The winner of one of the many categories, ‘Animals in their Habitat,’ is shown below: a brown bear fishing for sockeye salmon in Alaska. This photograph is nearly a relic of a bygone era, reflecting how things used to be—‘rivers teeming with life’. It is also a photo of hope, showing us it is not too late to replenish our wonders of creation.
Any of the documentaries featured in this Glossary Magazine article are worth your time.
But one standout, in keeping with this year’s theme—and as Australia faces a bird flu crisis and the potential devastation of some species—is ‘Wings Over Water’. This award-winning film, narrated by actor Michael Keaton, is about the migratory birds who arrive annually in the Great Plains of the USA, and the ecosystem so vital to their future.
Reviews praise ‘Wings Over Water’ for its extraordinary camera work, and for the amazing facts it imparts about our feathered friends.
Common Grace, a Christian social justice movement that mobilises Australian Christians to advocate for a more just and compassionate society, has a host of resources for Season of Creation.
Along with a daily devotional and online workshops and Bible study, they offer a weekly podcast. The four-part series ‘Faithful in a Changing Climate’ explores what it means to follow Jesus while wrestling with questions about hope, justice and the future in a time of rapid climate change.
Ultimately, the Season of Creation is a time to rejoice. While humanity cannot avoid the realities of destruction we are witnessing, we can take heart from the Holy Father’s words in Laudato Si’:
‘The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. (§13)’