A Call to Make Creation Care a Movement in the Archdiocese of Goa“
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” — Genesis 2:15
The Season of Creation 2026, being celebrated under the theme “Living Waters”, has begun with a simple but powerful invitation: to pray for creation and to act for creation. At St. Anne’s Church, Ponda, as part of the 8th Centenary Celebration of the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, the Genesis 2:15 Initiative has been launched as a 40-day journey of prayer, reflection and practical ecological action. The hope now is that this initiative will grow beyond a single parish and become a movement of the Catholic faithful across the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.
What is Genesis 2:15? Genesis 2:15 gives us one of the clearest biblical foundations for Christian ecological responsibility: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
The words “till” and “keep” contain a profound Christian ecological vocation. We are called to use the gifts of creation responsibly, but also to protect, nurture and restore them. Creation care, therefore, is not simply an environmental programme. It is part of our Christian discipleship.
The Genesis 2:15 Initiative seeks to make this biblical call a daily habit. At 2:15 p.m. — Pause, Pray and Act. Every day during the Season of Creation, families, Small Christian Communities, parish groups, schools, institutions and individuals are invited to pause at 2:15 p.m.
For a few moments:
PRAY — Remember God’s gift of creation and ask for the grace to care for it.
REFLECT — Ask ourselves: How am I treating God’s creation? What have I taken from it? What am I giving back?
ACT — Do one small but concrete action for creation.
It may be cleaning the area around one’s home, parish or SCC, saving water, avoiding unnecessary waste, planting or caring for a tree, protecting a water source, reducing plastic use, caring for animals or simply making a conscious choice to consume less.
The principle is beautifully simple: 15 MINUTES • 40 DAYS • ONE COMMON HOME
Every family and every SCC is encouraged to dedicate at least 15 minutes each day to prayer and ecological action. Fifteen minutes may appear insignificant. But when thousands of Catholics across the Archdiocese pray and act together, those minutes can become a powerful movement of ecological conversion.
THE GREEN CONFESSION
An important dimension of the Genesis 2:15 Initiative is the Green Confession. The Green Confession invites us to look honestly at our relationship with God’s creation and recognise that our ecological choices can have consequences for people, animals and the earth. We are encouraged to ask ourselves:
– Have I wasted water?
– Have I used more than I really need?
– Have I contributed unnecessarily to plastic and other waste?
– Have I damaged or neglected trees and plants?
– Have I polluted the surroundings entrusted to me?
– Have my patterns of consumption contributed to the suffering of others?
– Have I remained indifferent when I could have done something to protect creation?
– Have I forgotten that creation is God’s gift and not merely a resource for exploitation?
The Green Confession is not intended to replace the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Rather, it is an examination of conscience that can lead us towards genuine ecological conversion and, where appropriate, repentance, reconciliation and concrete restitution.
It asks a very simple question: “What must I change in my life so that God’s creation can live?”
FROM INDIVIDUAL ACTION TO A MOVEMENT
The real strength of Genesis 2:15 will not lie in one programme or one celebration. It will lie in its ability to become a way of life.
The invitation is therefore extended to: Every Catholic family, Every Small Christian Community, Every parish, Every Catholic school and college, Every religious community, Every youth group
Every association and movement and Every parish council and ministry to become part of this journey.
The impact of every SCC in the Archdiocese, undertakes one ecological action every day with families praying together at 2:15 pm and children learning that caring for a tree, a river, a well or an animal is also an expression of their faith. Parishes identifying and protecting their local water sources and Catholics choosing simplicity over waste and stewardship over exploitation. This is the movement we hope Genesis 2:15 can become.
A Franciscan RESPONSE TO LAUDATO SI’
The initiative has a special resonance with the Franciscan spirituality being celebrated during the 8th Centenary of the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi (1226–2026). St. Francis understood creation not as something separate from God, but as a family of which humanity is a part. His spirituality calls us towards simplicity, gratitude, fraternity and respect for all creation.
The vision also echoes the call of Laudato Si’ for an ecological conversion—a conversion that changes not only what we believe but also how we live. The Season of Creation 2026 theme, “Living Waters,” makes this call particularly urgent. Water is life. Our rivers, wells, springs, lakes, ponds, wetlands and seas are gifts entrusted to us. At the opening celebration at St. Anne’s Church, Ponda, water collected from the Khandepar and Durbhat Rivers and various wells, lakes and water bodies across Ponda Parish was brought to the altar as an offering. That symbolic offering now challenges us: If we offer our waters to God, are we also prepared to protect them?
An Invitation to the Catholic Faithful to Join the Genesis 2:15 Movement
From wherever you are, begin. At 2:15 p.m. STOP. PRAY. REFLECT. ACT. Pray for creation. Reflect on Genesis 2:15. Make your Green Confession—acknowledge where your lifestyle may be harming creation. Then spend at least 10 minutes doing something concrete to care for God’s creation. Do it alone or as a family. Do it with your SCC. Do it in your parish. Teach your children. Invite your neighbours. And don’t stop when the Season of Creation ends. “Everything will live where the river flows.” — Ezekiel 47:9
The Genesis 2:15 Initiative invites every Catholic in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman to become part of this journey—from prayer to action, from action to conversion, and from conversion to a movement for Our Common Home.