On behalf of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago,
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church,
you are cordially invited to the Ninth Annual Solemn Vespers for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Thursday, August 31, 2023 | 7:00pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
Experience the unveiling of the historic Ecumenism Metro Chicago (EMC)-Chicagoland Christians United for the Care of Creation’s Declaration for the Care of Creation during the Solemn Vespers for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, held at OLPH Church on August 31 at 7:00pm. Thirteen judicatories or their representative signed the beautifully inscribed, biblically-based Declaration at a moving ceremony at the Parliament of World Religions on August 17, 2023.
An excerpt from the declaration states “Confessing that we have sinned against God and neighbor by our misuse of God’s good creation, we humbly and urgently call all people to address this spiritual, ecological and existential threat to our common home” and the judicatories urged all to care for creation as a challenge to live more faithfully to the Gospel
Most Reverend, Bishop Robert Casey, Vicar General, of the Roman Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Chicago, when signing the Document expressed “Holy are you compassionate God, and blessed is Jesus Christ our Savior. He left the glory of Heaven to live among us, to teach us, to redeem us from sin and to reconcile us to you...”
Michael Terrien, Obl. OSB, Chair of EMC, Chicagoland Christians United for the Care of Creation, opened the ceremony stating “The 2023 convening of the Parliament of World Religions is a fitting venue for this signing which has always advocated for human rights and the rights and dignity of all creation. And we believe that a clean, healthy, safe environment is a fundamental, God-given right.” This Ecumenical Declaration for the Care of Creation will be shared with all people of good will as we grow in solidarity to care for our common home.
Posting of the Declaration for the Care of Creation and a recording of the signing ceremony will be available soon at www.archchicago.org/creation.
Thursday, August 31, 2023 | 7:00pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
7:00pm Vespers in church
8:00pm: Lecture in McDonnell Hall
Refreshments in McDonnell Hall before lecture
All are invited as the Catholic and Greek Orthodox communities of greater Chicagoland join together for an ecumenical service to give thanks for God’s gift of creation and to recognize the conservation efforts of His disciples.
Bishop Casey, Archdiocese of Chicago, will preside at this service and is honored to be joined by Fr. Sotirios Malamis, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.
The event will be live-streamed as well at: vimeo.com/event/3581003
The Vespers will be followed by a reception and a lecture by Sarah Elizabeth Ippel
"A Chicago Model for Cultivating a Sustainable and Just Future"
As a national leader in innovative education and sustainability who has dedicated two decades of her life to cultivating the future of learning and thriving communities, Sarah Elizabeth will share an inspiring and actionable vision for integrating health and wellness, environmental justice,multigenerational learning, and economic vitality to drive generational impact. She’ll share more about her work with developing a Chicago-based model, Cultivate Collective, which serves as a
national demonstration site and replicable prototype for equitable and sustainable communities, and her founding of the Academy for Global Citizenship, a public school and environmental education framework that has been scaled to impact five million children.