Bulletin Blurbs: Springtime Creation Care Options (April & May 2026)
“…While we wait for new heavens and a new earth, let us learn to live in harmony with all creatures.” — Prayer Excerpt from the Mass for the Care of Creation, introduced by Pope Leo XIV in 2025
The bulletin blurbs below are available for the use of parishes in your weekly bulletins. If you include information about creation care, we hope that these are useful to you. If so, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to e-mail us at info@saintfrancisinstitute.org to share your feedback or a photo of the information in action!
Time-sensitive for April:
“Every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity.” -Laudato Si’, 92. April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, a time to raise awareness and stand against animal cruelty. Let us show kindness, report neglect, adopt and foster, and help create a safer world for all God’s creatures.
Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22nd! Choosing plant-based foods is a meaningful way to protect our common home and show compassion for God’s creatures. “We must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.” LS, 67.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals...” — Proverbs 12:10. April 30th is National Adopt a Shelter Animal Day. [Consider including an image or quote regarding an adopted animal connected to a parishioner.]The next time you choose to welcome a four-legged family member into your home, you can help vulnerable animals by adopting from the shelter.
General - Our Resources:
Pope Leo XIV declared 2026 the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis! Inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, a new organization has launched to raise awareness about ways to show kindness to all God’s creatures. Visit the Saint Francis Institute for Animals website at saintfrancisinstitute.org to learn more and subscribe to updates.
“Every creature, no matter how small, is the fruit of Your love and has a place in this world.” - Pope Leo XIV, 2025 Season of Creation. The Saint Francis Institute for Animals offers a free downloadable 30-Day Harmony with All Creatures Journey on its website, complete with 30 days of short readings and reflections to bring about greater harmony with God’s creatures. Visit saintfrancisinstitute.org/30dayjourney to get started!
Other:
Help birds, our shared home, and your electric bill this spring. In the spring, billions of birds migrate north, often at night. Artificial lighting can cause birds to be disoriented and collide with buildings, or can cause confusion and cause them to waste valuable resources. To help, turn off nonessential indoor and outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. through June 30. Learn more at the National Audubon Society’s Lights Out campaign website.
Make your yard into a vital habitat for small creatures, including birds, while cultivating a healthier earth, saving water, and reducing reliance on chemicals. By planting native plants, you help to restore God’s creation, providing food, shelter, and safe habitats for all His creatures. Even small balcony gardens using native plants make a difference. Every small act of care counts!
Pope Francis says, “If we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously” (Laudato Si’, 11). Cultivate love for all God’s creation while getting outdoors this spring! Learn more about birds with the truly fascinating and free Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell University, which identifies birds by their call or image. With wild species in decline, awareness and action is urgently needed.