On the 2nd February, 2025, the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil officially began the celebrations of the VIII Centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures. All 41 fraternities located in the States of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, as well as the 5 fraternities present in Angola, have made this date a point of reference for celebrations, prayers and evangelizing activities focused on praising God for Creation and for the gift of being part of it.
On the 11th January, the superiors of the Franciscan Family and other representatives celebrated the opening of this Centenary in Assisi. It was a beautiful moment of prayer that allowed the participants to remember the story of the composition of this Praise to God according to the most ancient biographers, as well as praise and give thanks to God for the intuition given to St. Francis of Assisi that reaches us to this day.
“This event launched the idea of establishing a day to start the celebrations in the Province. Thus, we have chosen the day on which we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Consecrated Life, an important occasion to unite prayers in this dimension so characteristic of our Franciscan spirituality. The brothers will have the opportunity to pray and also join the people in the community celebrations,” said Br. Rodrigo da Silva Santos, moderator of Ongoing Formation, on the eve of the event.
In the Fraternity of the friary of St. Anthony, in Rio de Janeiro, the celebration of the official opening of the Canticle of the Creatures was presided over by Br. Claudio Cesar Broca and concelebrated by the Guardian, Br. Walter Ferreira Jr., and Br. Guido Scotini, Br. Sergio de Souza and Br. Roger Brunorio.
The celebration began with the blessing of candles and the procession of light, on the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In his homily, Br. Claudio highlighted the historical, religious and spiritual elements linked to the date, manifesting the presence and closeness of God with His people in the simplicity and fragility of a Child, Jesus Christ, Light of the Nations. In addressing the Centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures, he recalled that in it St. Francis, “almost blind, but with a gaze full of gratitude, contemplates the wonders of Creation and welcomes the presence of the Creator, who gives meaning to all that exists,” he explained.
At the end of the Mass, all those present went in procession to the cloister of the Convent and, in the green area of that space, recited the Opening Prayer of the Centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures. Br. Roger, one of the creators of the ceremony, explained the meaning of the elements highlighted in that celebratory moment: “The cloister garden, a symbolic space of the world, was chosen as a reference to the Canticle Laudato Sii by St. Francis, since in this garden there is the representation of the cosmos, of all Creation. In it we can perceive trees, flowers, fruits, birds, bees, weeds, water and earth,” he contextualized.
Throughout 2025, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, the Fraternity of the friary of St. Anthony will promote a series of initiatives to commemorate the date and draw everyone's attention to the urgency and importance of Caring for Our Common Home.
In addition to the celebrations involving the Canticle of the Creatures, we are also experiencing the year of the Jubilee of Hope in the universal Church. These dates make up the whole of an important moment that must be lived in evangelizing and catechetical unity.
This year, the Church in Brazil has also chosen Integral Ecology as the theme of the Fraternity Campaign and has taken St. Francis of Assisi as the spiritual axis of reflection. "There are many motivations and celebratory moments that come together in an opportunity to live a strong time of renewal and reinvigoration of our consecration and commitment to the mission, of adherence to our form of life and to the project of evangelization in unity with the journey of the Church," emphasized Br. Rodrigo.
The painting above, which represents the Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi, is the work of Br. Pedro da Silva Pinheiro of the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil.
Text by Adriana Rabelo and the Communication Team of the Convent of Sant'Antonio
Leia o texto original em português
