Rachel Mash

As the clergy of the Diocese of Cape Town renewed their priestly vows they were given a tree as a symbol of spiritual growth that needs to be constantly watered. Bishop Joshua blessed the trees with these words Blessing of the Trees O God of all Creation bless these trees to live among us as a message of hope for the future and a reminder of your call to care for all Creation. As their roots grow deep and strong, may our faith grow ever deeper and more compassionate. As its branches open wide to the sky, may our arms open wide to embrace the greatest and smallest of your creatures. As its leaves provide food and oxygen, may we provide food for the hungry and hope for the lost. Bless this tree as a living reminder of your love and grace always among us. Amen. #The Communion Forest We are very grateful for the generous donation from the Dep of Forestry, fisheries and Environment.

    The “Feast of Creation”, also known as “Creation Day” or “World Day of Prayer for Creation”, is officially entering the liturgical calendars of many churches. Celebrated on September 1st or – most frequently – on the following Sunday, the feast is inspired by an ancient liturgical tradition of the Eastern Orthodox church.  Many non-Byzantine churches will begin their celebrations this September, with the Feast formally enshrined in their lectionaries and liturgical books. Given the Christological nature of the liturgical year in many traditions, a title that is sometimes used is “Feast of Creation in Christ”. Among other highlights, the Feast is being added to the Revised Common Lectionary used by many Protestant and Anglican churches, in time for this year’s celebrations.  The words of Prophet Isaiah capture well what is happening: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (43:19). To explore this promising ecumenical process, a major online event was held on March 18-19, entitled “The Feast of Creation: A New Liturgical Feast, a Gift for the Third Millennium”. Convened by the World Council of Churches, Middle East Council of Churches, and various Christian world communions and regional ecumenical bodies, the event drew registrations from over 600 church leaders worldwide. Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of WCC and chair of the Feast of Creation committee, offered inspirational welcome remarks, grounded in the recent celebrations of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. “The ecumenical process towards a common liturgical Feast of Creation started with a powerful conference in Assisi in March 2024,” he said. “If the Assisi Process continues to develop and reach its goal, it might become a landmark in the history of Christianity. The strong backing by so many church families can be seen as an encouraging sign that the ecumenical miracle of joint ecumenical action for establishing this feast in the church calendar globally could become a reality.” In turn, Dr. Louk Andrianos from WCC made a presentation from the Eastern Orthodox perspective, reminding the audience of the rich theological symbolism of the Feast in that tradition. Citing the 10th-century Menologion of Basil II, which is the oldest Byzantine liturgical calendar, he explained that “September 1st represents ‘the day of Creation’, God’s act of the creation of the universe. It symbolizes the expression ‘In the beginning’, when God said ‘Let there be light’.” Moreover, in 1989, its Creation symbolism was expanded, when Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios invited “the entire Christian world to offer every year on this day prayers and supplications to the Maker of all.” In recent decades, Creation Day has gained steady momentum alongside the extended “Season of Creation”, both at the grassroots and leadership levels in many churches. The next presentation was by Rev. Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, a theologian of the Maronite Catholic Church and the Director of the Theological Department of the Middle East Council of Churches. As he is based in Beirut, a humbling moment of silence was offered for the victims of war there in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. Fr. Al Ahmar presented a new report titled “Theological Overview of the Feast of Creation” (www.bit.ly/feast-of-creation-theology), which synthesizes the main themes emerging from a series of three academic conferences in Assisi in recent years. He explained: “Creation is a multi-faceted mystery. Therefore, the Feast of Creation is a multi-faceted feast.” suggested image #2 Four interrelated themes are celebrated on this holy day: “(1) God’s act of creation, (2) Creation as a Christological mystery, (3) Creation as a Trinitarian mystery, and (4) Creation as a sacramental and covenanted gift. Together, these themes help us appreciate the richness and depth of the mystery being celebrated.” Lastly, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay (Consultation on Common Texts) and Rev. Tony Franklin-Ross (World Methodist Council) introduced various resources available to support non-Byzantine churches in implementing the new feast in their liturgical books and calendars. A highlight is the addition of the Feast to the Revised Common Lectionary in April 2026, with a new set of biblical readings to assist the liturgical celebrations starting this year. Other resources shared included:  1. Proposal for National Churches: www.bit.ly/new-feast   2. Invitation letter to National Churches: www.bit.ly/letter-feast   3. Upcoming workshops for Liturgists: www.bit.ly/feast-workshops   4. Theological Overview of the Feast: www.bit.ly/feast-of-creation-theology   5. Pastoral resources for the Feast: www.FeastOfCreation.com   6. Pastoral resources for extended Season: www.SeasonOfCreation.com    Participants then had denomination-specific dialogues in breakout sessions, to plan their celebrations in September 2026. Great enthusiasm was reported across the groups. Grounding all this reflection and preparation, the event counted with beautiful prayers offered by Frances Namoumou (Pacific Conference of Churches) and Karen Westerfield Tucker (World Methodist Council), helping contextualize the importance of this Feast in light of the tragic destruction of God’s gift of creation in this day and age.  Bottom line, the main takeaway is that the Holy Spirit has been clearly at work in recent decades, nourishing the soil so that this gift of the Eastern Orthodox church might flourish in the worldwide Christian family. The Feast of Creation is a precious gift for the third millennium. The full recording of this historic event is available here:

Green Anglicans of Inhambane worked in collaboration with the Municipal Council of the Village of Quissico – Zavala on World Forest Day The area was badly damaged when Cyclone Gezani struck the Bay of Inhambane-Maxixe on the 13th and 14th of February. Seven Anglican families were impacted including the rector Rev Aurelio. The church was able to help the affected families with clothes, food and water as well spiritual support and helping to mend the houses. In order to stop the erosion and to hold the flooding -for climate disaster mitigation the group had decided to plant  vetiver grass. This is  a bunchgrass known for its deep dense root systems (up to 3-5 meters)  which make it excellent for erosion control, slope stabilization and water management. The plant helps with water purification and land restoration. After planting the vetiver grass, a talk was given on the importance of forests in our communities. We also talked about the relationship between the forest and water, bearing in mind that tomorrow (22nd of March) is World Water day 25 people took part in the planting session We are grateful to the councillors and president of the Municipality of Quissico for the hospitality   #communionforest Rev Aurelio Uqueio

“We are not mourners at the deathbed of the Earth, we are midwives at the birth of the New Creation.” The newly formed Women’s Faith and Climate Network (2024) met for three days just as war broke out in the Middle East. From different countries, contexts and faiths we gathered with one shared conviction—that networks of women of faith may hold a key role in scaling up climate action. We met during a sacred season – celebrating Lent, Ramadan, Purim and Holi. One of the largest, yet often hidden, ways to scale up climate action lies within the vast networks of women of faith. For example: the Anglican Mothers’ Union has over 4 million members in 83 countries; there are 600,000 Catholic Sisters worldwide; the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has 6 million women; and the Self Employed Women’s Association (a secular network with strong spiritual roots) has 3.8 million members in India and beyond.Action is already happening. The Laudato Si Movement has trained 20,000 ‘animators’ worldwide. The Mothers’ Union has started a programme called Eco Champs in five African countries and has a vision to expand to five more countries in 2026. The Self Employed Women’s Association has launched the “Clean Skies Campaign.” The Tzu Chi foundation is drilling wells for clean water,and training in conservation agriculture. This conference marked the first formal meeting of the newly formed Network and provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences, deepen relationships, and develop practical collaborations. We began the meeting with an inspiring message from Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and one of the “Elders.” “We must allow ourselves to practice broken-heartedness – together. A broken heart is not a weak heart, it is an open heart. Grief shared in community can become a source of courage.” During the gathering, Mme Meisie Lerutla, President of the Provincial Mothers’ Union in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, shared the MU model of Eco-Champions. The MU passed a resolution that each Diocese should appoint an Eco-champ to mobilise MU branches in their Diocese for environmental action. The results in the last two years since the initial training have been remarkable. Clean-ups, training in Farming God’s Way, tree growing, water saving and environmental education – the champions have been working hard. The dream is to roll out the vision in five new countries at a gathering in May and to share the concept of MU Eco-Champs at the Worldwide Celebration of the Mothers’ Union in November. We were also able to meet with Naomi Herbert – head of MU Global Strategic Partnerships to discuss the program Another Anglican representative was Siva Sunia from Tonga, who spoke about the Pacific concept of the “weaving of the ecological mat.” Drawing on traditional imagery, she described how caring for creation requires the careful weaving together of relationships—between people, cultures, faith traditions and the natural world—so that the mat of life remains strong for future generations. The youth of the Anglican Diocese of Tonga are part of the Safe and Resilient Church campaign, working with Anglican parishes to assess vulnerabilities – from food and water security to shelter and disaster preparedness. Youth led the work: collecting data, mapping low-lying areas and preparing action plans. The programme has strengthened church buildings to be used as cyclone shelters, created evacuation routes, and supported alternative livelihoods such as sustainable farming. It is practical climate action – rooted in faith, community and resilience. The spiritual dimension of the gathering was also significant. We shared iftar together, celebrated Purim (the Jewish celebration of Esther) and joined in a dawn Lenten service. Reflecting on Romans 8:22 Rev Rachel said, “Creation is groaning in childbirth.” She continued, “We are not mourners at the deathbed of the Earth; we are midwives of the new Creation.” We also reflected on the message of Esther 4:14:“Who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?” Official Photo Credit -Wilton Park With great appreciation to Alison Hlliard, Jean Duff, Project Dandelion and all those who worked so hard and donated their time and finances to make this possible!

Lent is traditionally a time when we abstain from items such as alcohol or chocolates. This year we invite you to abstain from things which harm the planet  – and to be part of renewing the Earth “Restoration 202fix!”