Franciscan Festival for the 800th Anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures

800 years after its composition by St. Francis of Assisi, young Christians find in the Canticle of the Creatures a source of hope and action in the face of current ecological and social crises. Together with the Franciscan friars, they organize the "Brother Sun" festival, from the 28th-31st August, 2025, at Notre-Dame de Reinacker, in the diocese of Strasbourg. 

 Also called the Canticle of Brother Sun, this canticle of praise was composed by Francis of Assisi at the end of his life, when he was seriously ill. This poem was a source of inspiration for Pope Francis in the drafting of the encyclical Laudato si', whose tenth anniversary we are celebrating this year. 

"We are struck by the concerns and doubts of the young people who participate in our meetings. The Song of Solomon testifies to a life force that pierces the darkness. Leveraging Francis' intuition, we want to open a space for reflection on the relationship between man and Creation, to go beyond fraternal respect and inhabit the world in a different way," explains Fr. Frédéric-Marie Le Méhauté, theologian and new Minister Provincial of the friars of France and Belgium. 

In collaboration with Église Verte and the Laudato Si' Movement, the Brother Sun festival will offer teachings, testimonies, spiritual moments, workshops of artistic and creative contemplation, and concerts. 250 visitors, believers and non-believers, are expected. 

In line with the synodal approach, the Franciscans have been co-building this event with a group of young professionals since June 2023. "Whilst violence makes the news, we want to cultivate hope together and rekindle a fire: not the one that burns our planet, but the one that can light it. We want to experience an injection of fraternity!" says Adrien Séguret, engineer and member of the volunteers' organizing team. 

Throughout the year, a film crew followed this "Pope Francis generation" during its interactions with the Franciscans. A 52-minute documentary will be broadcast on the French channel KTO on the 4th October, 2025, on the day of the Feast of St. Francis. 

Following the festival and in collaboration with the YouPray prayer app, a Franciscan path dedicated to contemplation and amazement will be broadcast in September. 

Press contact: communication@franciscains.fr 
Page of the festival: https://franciscains.fr/brothersun/ 

Communications Office of the Province of Blessed Duns Scotus (France-Belgium) 

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