On Tuesday, August 20, Fr. Emmanuel Kallarackal, C.S.C., Vicar General and First Assistant, shared with the Congregation of Holy Cross a new prayer for justice, peace, and integrity of creation. Fr. Kallarackal as the General Assistant in charge of the Mission and Ministries Portfolio oversees the Congregation’s work internationally on matters of justice, peace, and integrity of creation.

The prayer draws its inspiration from the Holy Cross tradition and in particular the Congregation’s Constitutions. Much of the language, such as speaking of “seeing in the face of every human being who suffers the face of Jesus” and gaining “the competence to see and the courage to act” are direct quotations from the Constitutions, which guide and animate the life and work of the Congregation.

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In promulgating the prayer, Fr. Kallarackal called on all the members of the Congregation, as well as its partners in mission, students, parishioners, and friends, to join in praying it daily during the "Season of Creation" declared by Pope Francis from September 1 to October 4. The recitation of the prayer would be part of a wider participation of the Congregation and its apostolates in the Season of Creation.

In particular, given the Congregation’s charism as “Educators in the Faith,” Fr. Kallarackal noted: “Our Holy Father invites us to educate young people in integral ecology and care of creation. We can effectively do this through our institutions, parishes, formation houses and other ministries. In the light of this invitation, I invite you to encourage young people from all our ministries to engage in the care of creation activities.”

The Holy Cross Prayer for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation is available for download in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.