SIBU: Sacred Heart Cathedral kicked off the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation with the cleaning campaign yesterday. The event which was organized by the Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Youth Ministry was joined by hundreds of Catholics.
The event started with the Mass celebrated by Bishop of Sibu Right Reverend Joseph Hii at the cathedral at 7am. It was then followed by cleaning campaign at various places include Bukit Assek Road, Tong Sang Road, Lanang Lane 1, Chengal Road, Amoy Road, Mengris Lane, Rhu Road and Kapor Road. Meanwhile, in his homily, Hii said the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation started on Sept 1 until Oct 4.
It was declared by Pope Francis in 2015 that during this time, every year, everyone could take the opportunity to care for the creation, to thank for the wonderful gifts of creation and to ask for protection of creation. Hii said no one could be excluded from creation as everyone is part and parcel of creation. “We have the same element with those animals, but the difference between us and animals is that we have the intellect and that calls for great responsibility.
“Now, the whole creation is crying out for us because we had ‘raped’ them. There is nothing more urgent than the needs to answer the cry of creation,” he pointed out. He said when people are called to care, they are also called to love them. He also said that during this time, Pope Francis said individuals are encouraged not just to pray for creation, but to take action. On the cleaning campaign, he said it was done not for the sake of cleaning campaign, but a profession of faith.
by Jane Moh