The bells of St. Columban’s Cathedral of Myitkyina Diocese rang out on Monday morning, September 1, 2025, as nearly 200 faithful gathered to observe the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, a global event instituted by Pope Francis.

The solemn Mass, presided over by Fr. Bosco, Chancellor of the Myitkyina Diocese, and concelebrated by ten priests, centered on the urgent theme of environmental stewardship and its deep connection to Christian faith.

The local observance, also known as the Feast of Creation, was organized by the diocesan commissions.

A powerful symbol of the day’s message stood at the altar: a large wooden cross named “Ma Li Kha,” crafted from driftwood carried down the Ayeyarwady River during severe flooding in June 2025.

In his welcome, Fr. Paul Tu Aung explained that the cross serves as a memorial for victims of war and natural disasters. “May the crucified Christ… keep the Ayeyarwady and our Kachin Wunpawng land clean, green, and safe,” he stated.

The homily, delivered by Fr. Vicent Shan Lum, Director of the Justice and Peace Commission, drew directly from Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’.

He shared a personal anecdote about trees he had planted being destroyed by cows, equating his grief to God’s sorrow over environmental destruction.

“When we pollute the air, poison the waters, or exploit the land, we are not only harming nature,” Fr. Vincent told the congregation. “We are wounding our brothers and sisters, especially the poor, who bear the greatest suffering.”

He issued a direct challenge for an “ecological conversion,” urging the community to adopt a lifestyle of gratitude and responsibility through concrete actions like planting trees and reducing waste.

“Let us echo St. Francis,” he concluded, “Laudato Si, praise to you my Lord — not only with our words, but with the way we live.”

The offertory procession reinforced the homily’s themes. Six symbolic gifts were presented: water, earth, air, rice, plants, and candles, each representing an element of creation and the shared duty to protect it.

The Mass concluded with a call to action, framing environmental care not as optional but as a central tenet of faith. The faithful departed with a renewed mandate to answer the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” with concerted action.

By RVA Lisu Service