» Care for Creation

Take a Hike!

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Nov 11, 2022

Whether you're new to hiking or an avid trailblazer, Prince William, VA has a wide variety of scenic hikes to enjoy. Hike through hallowed grounds, challenge your stamina, or enjoy a family-friendly excursion - here are 9 hikes that you won’t want to miss. St. Francis of Assisi Care for Creation Ministry 1. Deep Cut Loop Trail Head over to Manassas National Battlefield Park for a 1.2-mile historic hike along Deep Cut Loop Trail. This awesome trail follows the line of the unfinished Manassas...

Priestly Care for Creation

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Oct 26, 2021

“For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Roman 8:19-21) Did you know that the world was fashioned as a Temple and the Garden of Eden was depicted as the sanctuary of the Temple - the holy place where God dwells with...

Blessing and Biodiversity

by Care for Creation - St Francis | Oct 2, 2021

Each year Catholics celebrate the Blessing of the Animals as part of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi observance. St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Animals and Ecology, loved all animals and all of nature, recognizing each animal as an equally miraculous work of the Creator. As our attention is most often turned to our furry and feathered household companions, we can also celebrate - and pledge to protect - the overwhelming diversity of animal life just outside our doors and...

Migrants and Refugees

by Care for Creation - St Francis | Sep 26, 2021

“Towards an Ever Wider ‘We’ ” Catholics have been observing the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914, each year recognizing the vulnerability of displaced persons, while embracing the opportunities that arise when migrants and refugees are supported in their journeys and welcomed in their resettlement. In his papal message, Pope Francis calls us to recognize a “we” as “wide as humanity:” “…the highest price is being paid by those who most easily become viewed as others: foreigners,...

Season of Creation – Amazonia

by Care for Creation - St Francis | Sep 26, 2021

The Pan-Amazon nations, our South American neighbors, are home to the world’s largest rainforest and millions of indigenous persons. The importance of this region for both its immense biodiversity and climate stabilizing capacity, cannot be overstated. Yet, after years of intense deforestation and exploitation by international interests, the Amazon is approaching an "irreversible tipping point of ecological collapse," according to the nonprofit Amazon Watch. As we approach the second...

Pope Francis Speaks

by Care for Creation - St Francis | Sep 26, 2021

A first-ever joint statement by Christian leaders urging citizens and world leaders alike to address the moral and life issues underpinning the current ecological crisis, marked this second week of the 2021 Season of Creation. Pope Francis joined Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, imploring Christians and their communities, to: “listen to the cry of the earth and of people who are poor, examining their behaviour and pledging meaningful sacrifices for...