DATE: 6 September 2026
PARISH: Holy Cross Collegiate
DIOCESE: Mzimvubu
At Holy Cross Collegiate, the Feast for Creation became more than a Sunday service. It brought worship, youth participation, prayer, environmental awareness and practical action together, showing how care for God’s creation can become part of the life of a church community.
A celebration rooted in faith and action
On 6 September 2026, approximately 82 people gathered at Holy Cross Collegiate in the Mzimvubu Diocese to celebrate the Feast for Creation. The youth led the programme, while the wider congregation joined in the Anglican order of service, bringing together worship, Scripture, music, prayer, reflection and environmental awareness. The celebration formed part of a wider environmental journey at Holy Cross Collegiate. Earlier in the year, the young people had already taken practical steps to care for their surroundings. On 16 June, approximately 68 people—mostly young people from GBFS, Servers and other youth participants, together with members of the Mothers’ Union, Bernard Mizeki and the Provost—took part in a community clean-up from the Hlwahlwazi stop to the church premises. The activity combined service to the community with awareness about keeping shared spaces clean.
Environmental awareness in action: young people and community members engage with collected litter and discuss the importance of keeping their surroundings clean.
Bringing creation into worship
The Feast for Creation continued this work by placing creation care within the worship life of the church. The service followed the Anglican way from beginning to end, with the youth at the centre of the programme. Scripture, hymnody and prayer created space for the congregation to consider its relationship with the natural world. Psalm 150:6—“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”—provided a fitting theme for the celebration. The congregation also sang Creation Song 06 from the Anglican hymn book, linking the praise of God with an appreciation of the life and beauty found in creation.
The church community gathers outdoors in the rain as part of the creation-focused celebration.
Stepping outside to listen, reflect and pray
After the prayers, the congregation went outdoors to spend time with creation. They listened, observed, talked and reflected together before praying for creation and for the challenges affecting young people and their communities. The weather became part of the experience. Rain fell as the congregation gathered outside, but the activity continued. The moment offered a simple reminder that creation is not only something discussed inside the church; it is all around the community, and its well-being is connected to everyday life
The church community gathers outdoors in the rain as part of the creation-focused celebration.
Young voices speaking for creation
The participation of children and young people was one of the most visible parts of the celebration. Their handwritten messages—“Do not litter”, “Keep rivers clean” and “Care for creation”—turned environmental awareness into simple, practical calls that could be understood by the whole community. For Holy Cross Collegiate, this kind of participation is important because it gives young people an opportunity to remain active in matters that affect both their church and their communities. Cleaning, speaking about environmental responsibility, praying and taking part in practical activities all create opportunities for young people to become active stewards of their surroundings.
Young people and children share practical messages of creation care, including “Do not litter”, “Keep rivers clean” and “Care for creation.”
Prayers for creation and for young people
The day also recognised that environmental concerns exist alongside the social challenges experienced by young people. The congregation prayed about pressing concerns including unemployment, substance abuse and mental health challenges, placing the wellbeing of young people within the wider responsibility of caring for communities and creation. Rev. Swana was among the clergy present during the outdoor part of the celebration. The participation of clergy, youth and the wider congregation helped reinforce the message that creation care is not the responsibility of one group alone.
When the rain changed the plan, the commitment continued
The medicinal plants prepared for the Feast for Creation were blessed during the celebration. The intention had been to plant them that day, but the rain made planting difficult. Rather than ending the initiative there, the plants were later placed in tins during the Confirmation service on 12 September. This continuation became a small but meaningful reminder that environmental action does not have to end when circumstances change. The planting could happen later, but the commitment to care for creation remained.
A plant cared for as part of the church community’s continuing commitment to creation care.
A commitment that must continue
For Holy Cross Collegiate, the Feast for Creation was therefore not simply a once-off environmental event. It formed part of an ongoing effort to mobilise the church and surrounding community to recognize the abuse and neglect of creation, speak about it and take practical action.
Provost Rev. Somgungqu emphasized that these activities should be encouraged by the congregation and must not stop. His message captured the spirit of the day: creation care should become part of the continuing life and witness of the church.
The journey at Holy Cross Collegiate is still unfolding. From cleaning the route between Hlwahlwazi and the church, to praying outdoors in the rain, to encouraging children to keep rivers clean and avoid littering, the community is finding practical ways to connect faith with environmental responsibility.
The Feast for Creation left the congregation with a simple but important call: to see what is happening around them, to speak about it, to pray for creation and for their communities, and to turn that awareness into action. In this way, caring for God’s creation becomes not only a celebration, but a continuing way of serving God, the church and the community.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6