Dear Sisters and members of the Incarnation Family.

It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created.

We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth.

Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, many are beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety.

As people of faith we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith, the hope of the resurrection. This is not a hope without action but one embodied in concrete actions of prayer and preaching, service and solidarity.

This year, the theme for the season is “To hope and act with Creation”.

This season, we are also invite to unit our Christian voices through a joint advocacy initiative to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) which calls for a halt to new fossil fuel projects.

It is estimated that 30% of the greenhouse gases that are affecting the climate are generated by the extraction and use of fossil fuels.

The FFNPT is is a call for transformation, which is not limited to adjusting our greenhouse gas emissions, but aims at a lifestyle change that leads to reducing and phasing out the production of fossil fuels.

Creation groans as fossil fuel industries create green advertising campaigns in favor of clean energy. They are expanding their businesses and not eliminating fossil fuels. They talk about energy transition, but they are only pursuing energy expansion to keep profits high.

21 September is scheduled as the global day of action for individuals, communities, organizations, and all levels of government to endorse the Treaty.

As a member of a parish or faith group we are invited to endorse FFNPT through the Faith Letter, available at : www.fossilfueltreaty.org/faith-letter

All signatures will be used to influence decision-makers at the next UN conference on climate change, COP29, scheduled for November 2024 in Azerbaijan.

As the Ursulines of Jesus congregation we have already signed, but it is possible also sign as an individual. We encourage you to do so.

Every action, no matter how small it may seem, is important. As resources and access to them diminish, wars increase.

In this Time of Creation, may we pray and commit ourselves together with the ecumenical family for the sake of the creation on which peace depends.

With affection

International Ecology Commission Ursulines of Jesus September 1st, 2024