Please join with us in praying this novena for nine days leading up to the summit, starting on Wednesday 17 September.

Transcription

1 Novena to St Francis For the love of creation A novena is nine days of private or public devotion, made for a specific intention. Novenas to certain saints are often made according to that saint s patronage. For example, a person who finds themselves in a difficult situation to which they can see no solution may pray a novena to St Jude, patron saint of lost causes. Some examples of traditional novenas can be found online: Novena to St Jude Novena to St Anthony This Novena to St Francis is for the love of creation and those who live in poverty, asking St Francis to intercede for us as we ask God to guide world leaders in the run up to the UN Sustainable Development Summit. The summit starts with a speech from Pope Francis in New York on 25 September, as world leaders gather to agree the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals that aim to eradicate poverty by Please join with us in praying this novena for nine days leading up to the summit, starting on Wednesday 17 September. Day 1 For the love of the sun Day 2 For the love of the night sky Day 3 For the love of weather Day 4 For the love of water Day 5 For the love of fire Day 6 For the love of the earth Day 7 For the love of our brothers and sisters throughout the world Day 8 For the love of our neighbours Day 9 For the love of creation Photos: Annie Bungeroth, Dominic Nahr

2 Day 1 For the love of the sun We praise you, Lord, for all your creatures, especially for Brother Sun, who is the day through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour, of you Most High, he bears your likeness. Creator God, we give you thanks for our brother sun, who gives us light, warmth and energy. We remember those in remote locations whose lives have been transformed by the power of the sun.

3 Day 2 For the love of the night sky We praise you, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair. Creator God, we give you thanks for our sister moon and the stars which light up the sky at night. We remember those who have no reliable source of light in the darkness and who struggle to study or to work once night has fallen. St Francis, pray for us.

4 Day 3 For the love of weather We praise you, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air, fair and stormy, all weather's moods, by which you cherish all that you have made. Creator God, we give you thanks for our brothers wind and air, who bring the weather to our door. We remember those who have faced the full force of the wind and who have experienced the damage that hurricanes and cyclones can bring. We remember especially those who are facing more frequent and more extreme weather as the climate changes.

5 Day 4 For the love of water We praise you, Lord, for Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure. Creator God, we give you thanks for our sister water, without whom we cannot live. We remember those who struggle to get clean water for themselves and their families, and those who face droughts or floods which damage crops, homes and lives.

6 Day 5 For the love of fire We praise you, Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom you light the night. He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong. Creator God, we give you thanks for our brother fire, who cooks our food and warms our homes. We remember those who are left out in the cold, those choked by smoke and pollution, those who spend their days searching for firewood, and the land and trees destroyed for fuel.

7 Day 6 For the love of the earth We praise you, Lord, for Sister Earth, who sustains us with her fruits, coloured flowers, and herbs. Creator God, we give you thanks for our sister earth, who nourishes us with her abundance and is our home. We remember those who are struggling to grow crops, who do not have enough to eat, those who are homeless or have no land to call their own.

8 Day 7 For the love of our brothers and sisters throughout the world We praise you, Lord, for those who pardon, for love of you bear sickness and trial. Blessed are those who endure in peace, by you Most High, they will be crowned. Creator God, we give you thanks for our brothers and sisters throughout the world, each unique, each special, each made in your image. We remember all those who endure difficulties due to illness or poverty, who are becoming more vulnerable because of the changing climate.

9 Day 8 For the love of our neighbours We praise you, Lord, for our neighbours, for those who reach out to us in the most difficult times. (Adapted from Canticle of the Sun, St Francis of Assisi) Creator God, we give you thanks for our neighbours, not just those next door, or in our own community, but all your creatures throughout the world. We remember those who support others through difficult times, and we pray that we too may be moved to act with compassion to all creation.

10 Day 9 For the love of creation We praise you, Lord, for all your creatures, especially for Brother Sun, who is the day through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour, of you Most High, he bears your likeness. We praise you, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair. We praise you, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air, fair and stormy, all weather's moods, by which you cherish all that you have made. We praise you, Lord, for Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure. We praise you, Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom you light the night. He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong. We praise you, Lord, for Sister Earth, who sustains us with her fruits, coloured flowers, and herbs. We praise you, Lord, for those who pardon, for love of you bear sickness and trial. Blessed are those who endure in peace, by you Most High, they will be crowned. We praise and bless you, Lord, and give you thanks, and serve you in all humility.

11 Creator God, we give you thanks for all of your creation, in its diversity, beauty and abundance. We remember that we are just one part of this creation and we pray that we may serve you in all humility as we live amongst all that you have made. St Francis, pray for us.