Building on the environmental concerns of his predecessors, Pope St John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV has declared 1 September a Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

The Vatican has introduced a votive Mass: Missa pro custodia creation (Mass for the Care of Creation), using specific prayers and readings, which Pope Leo celebrated for the first time in the ‘Laudato Si’ Village’ at Castel Gandolfo on 9 July 2025.

The Mass is in Latin, the official language of the Catholic Church, but working translations have also been made available (see page 6 of the .pdf below for the English version):

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The Mass may be celebrated on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (1 September 2025) and during the annual ‘Season of Creation’, which runs from 1 September to 4 October.

In our own Diocese of Leeds during this Holy Year of the Jubilee of Hope, we are marking Four Seasons of Creation with a special Laudato Si’ Mini-Pilgrimage or event in each. The Autumn event will be on Saturday 4 October at St Benedict’s Catholic Church in Garforth and will take the form of a ‘LiveSimply’ Harvest Festival and Blessing of Animals. Our event for the Winter season will be an Advent Eco-Fair on Saturday 13 December at Hinsley Hall in Headingley.