God’s creation was celebrated in earnest during the 2026 Season of Creation (1 September to 4 October), with Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) organising several events to mark the annual celebration.
At the start of September, CEWA welcomed Jacqui Remond from the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), for a two-day accreditation course on Integral Ecology.
The course was based on the encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015) by the late Pope Francis, in which he calls everyone to respond to the interlinked crises of ecological and social issues.
This call for action has been repeated strongly by Pope Leo XIV, calling for concrete actions by all levels of society as “God’s creation is crying out” and vulnerable communities cannot be pushed aside.
About 35 CEWA staff attended the course, amidst the beautiful setting of Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre. The wetlands provided the perfect backdrop for participants to immerse themselves in the topic of care for our common home, and the topic of Living Water, the theme of this year’s Season of Creation.
Mrs Remond is a global authority on Laudato Si’ and Integral Ecology, having recently been appointed as Consultor to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican.
School staff from primary and secondary schools gained a deeper insight into humanity’s place in Creation and the concept of Integral Ecology – and the moral imperative for ecological conversion.
Staff explored the roots of Integral Ecology within Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching through an exploration of Laudato Si’ and its interconnectedness with other encyclicals, exhortations, and utterings to care for our common home and all who dwell here.
Participants left the course feeling inspired and motivated to support their students and peers to put Pope Francis’ words into action in their schools.
To mark the start of the Season of Creation, CEWA office staff celebrated the new Mass for the Care of Creation at the Chapel of St Michael the Archangel in Leederville.
This followed a successful Laudato Si’ Youth Summit in August, involving more than 120 students, from 11 different schools, across Years 9 to 12. Hosted by Corpus Christi College, the summit provided students with an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Laudato Si’ and plan actions for their schools.
Since launching its first Laudato Si’ Action Plan at the end of 2024, CEWA has taken great strides in supporting the implementation of the Laudato Si’ Goals across its five offices and more than 160 schools in Western Australia, with a focus on responding to both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
