The Diocese of Bacolod, together with Amnesty International and environmental youth organizations Linghod and Youth For Climate Hope celebrates the “Season of Creation”, a movement aimed to call unto Catholic parishioners to to promote the importance of the protection of the environment even with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be observed from September 2, 2020 until October 11, 2020 during the Solemnity of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

Topics tackled throughout the sessions were solid waste management, renewable energy, plastic prohibition, plight of the coastal community, black sand mining, youth empowerment, and environmental sustainability

Environmental orgs recently sounded the alarm over various controversial projects being pursued in the middle of the pandemic such as Black Sand Mining in EB Magalona and Tanjay, road project in Northern Negros Natural Park, and dredging operation in EB Magalona that threatens the Blue Swimming Crab industry of Negros and local shoreline ecosystem.

Themes throughout the course of this celebration highlighting the protection of the environment include:

  • Mother Earth As The New Poor
  • A Call To Conversion and Solidarity
  • Less Is More
  • A Time To Act

September 1 is declared by Pope Francis as “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” and the start of the yearly observance of the aforementioned event, wherein the local Diocese joins the universal Catholic Church in answering the Pope’s call for renewal in the form of a forty-day reflection. This is line with the 5th anniversary of his “Laudato Si” movement, wherein the Pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action” in the form of environmental activism.