HONG KONG (SE): The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong opened this year’s Season of Creation on September 1 with a special Mass for the Care of Creation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, followed by the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This launched more than a month of prayer and environmental action, which will run until October 4.
The season takes its cue from Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which directly links ecological damage and war to inner spiritual conflict. Drawing on Isaiah 2:4—turning “swords into ploughshares”—the pope calls on humanity to redirect resources away from violence and towards protecting life.
During the September 1 Mass, Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, parish priest, urged the faithful to relinquish useless anxiety over the future and distinguish genuine needs from groundless fears by contemplating nature.
They were also led to pray for victims of extreme climate disasters, for those championing environmental protection, social justice, and vulnerable workers.
This year’s global theme, “Living Water”, drawn from Ezekiel 47:9, invites believers to immerse themselves in God’s river of life. To bring the theme into local practice, the Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development has organised a series of spiritual and educational events across parishes, alongside six promotional videos released on diocesan channels reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, and its relevance to Hong Kong.
The programme continues on September 12 with a screening of the 2007 film “Clare and Francis” at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, exploring Franciscan eco-spirituality. On September 17, an outdoor retreat and Eucharistic Adoration at St Ignatius Chapel, Kowloon, will draw on the biblical story of Cain and Abel to help participants reflect on humanity’s broken relationship with nature.
The theme of safeguarding life through environmental care was already raised in July, when the diocesan youth YouTube channel, “Boiling Point”, and the commission interviewed Lam Chiu-ying, former director of the Hong Kong Observatory. Lam noted that using a standard fan at 27–28°C is comfortable for healthy adults, reinforcing that environmental protection is ultimately about safeguarding human lives and reducing suffering worldwide.
Over the past year, the commission, local parishes and ecumenical partners have organised ongoing projects focusing on waste reduction, glass bottle recycling, and community farming. Talks were also organised to show that modern consumerism distorts creation, emphasising that green action must extend beyond convenience to address social justice at its source.
St. Lawrence Parish has completed its “Good Soil Family Farming Scheme” on its church rooftop, using urban farming to reduce children’s screen time, strengthen family bonds, and build bridges between church members and the local neighbourhood.
St. Andrew’s Church will host a football obstacle course featuring water conservation quizzes on September 6, followed later by a series of flower-arranging workshops. The parish also runs an ongoing recycling scheme that converts earned points into food supplies for families in need. Timmy So, a member of the parish’s environmental group, said environmental protection goes beyond practical action—it must be deeply rooted in prayer for God’s creation.
Environmental awareness has also taken root in the foreign domestic workers’ community. The Caritas Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project has launched a government-funded, two-year “Green Migrant Workers, Green Project”, engaging almost 100 foreign domestic workers who have been trained as “green ambassadors” to promote low-carbon living.
Over the past year, the commission, local parishes and ecumenical partners have organised ongoing projects focusing on waste reduction, glass bottle recycling, and community farming
At the project’s launch ceremony in June, participants designed and modelled high-fashion outfits crafted from discarded items such as plastic bags, newspapers, and cartons, and more than 400 workers installed the government’s Go Green app afterwards. A photography exhibition highlighting foreign domestic workers’ views on global warming, as well as a beach-cleaning campaign involving employers, foreign domestic workers, and kindergarten students, will also be organised later.
Angel Wong, supervisor of the project, said she was deeply impressed by the dedication of the workers, which has also inspired their employers to become more involved in environmental protection. “They came to Hong Kong not only to take care of our families, but also to protect our environment,” she said.
The Season of Creation will reach its liturgical climax on October 3 with an outdoor Mass co-organised by several parish environmental groups on the lawn of Wah Yan College, Kowloon. Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., will preside, and the homily will be delivered by Father Ignatius Lo King-ip, bringing the season to a fitting close as it approaches the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4.
