On the 10th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Leo XIV has approved for use the Decree for the Missa pro custodia creationis - 'Mass for the Care of Creation'.
On the 10th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Leo XIV has approved for use the Decree for the Missa pro custodia creationis – ‘Mass for the Care of Creation’.
This new formulary of the Roman Missal is included in the Masses pro variis necessitatibus vel ad diversa (‘for various needs and occasions’) and has been approved by the Holy Father through the Decretum de formulario et lectionibus adhibendis in Missa pro custodia creationis.
The Mass for the Care of Creation is a source of joy for the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Among its various areas of competence, the Dicastery supports local Churches to care for our common home and to promote new paths to achieve integral human ecology.
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis consistently and regularly supported social pastoral care linked to the care of creation, beginning with the publication of his Encyclical Laudato Si’. In his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2025, his successor Pope Leo XIV wrote:
“For ten years, the encyclical Laudato Si’ has accompanied the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill : may it continue to inspire us, and may integral ecology increasingly be chosen and shared as the path to follow. In this way, the seeds of hope will multiply, to be ‘guarded and cultivated’ through the grace of our great and unfailing Hope, the Risen Christ.”
The decree of the Mass for the Care of Creation was published in Latin. The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has provided working translations for Bishops’ Conferences to use and adapt for local settings where appropriate. The proposed translations are “intended simply as an aid to facilitate the work of translation, with a view to possible use on the next World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (1 September 2025).”
You can download the texts approved for use for the Mass for the Care of Creation.
On 3 July, when the Mass for the Care of Creation was presented, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD), described it as “a source of joy” because it responds “to the many requests received from around the world… It renews our gratitude, strengthens our faith, and calls us to respond with care and love, in an ever-growing sense of wonder, respect, and responsibility.”
He said:
“At every Mass, we bless God for the bread and wine we receive; they are both “fruit of the earth … fruit of the vine … and the work of human hands”. And every Sunday and Feast Day, our proclamation of faith begins: “We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” God’s gift of life, from the beginning, is completed or fulfilled by Christ’s life, passion, death and resurrection.
“The Missa pro custodia creationis begins like this: ‘The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork’ (Psalm 18:2). The Gospel speaks of ‘the lilies of the field and the birds of the air’ (Matthew 6:24-34) or else recounts Jesus calming the storm at sea (Matthew 8:23-27).
“With this Mass, the Church is offering liturgical, spiritual and communal support for the care we all need to exercise of nature, our common home. Such service is indeed a great act of faith, hope and charity.
“This Mass is a reason for joy. It increases our gratitude, strengthens our faith, and invites us to respond with care and love in an ever-growing sense of wonder, reverence, and responsibility. It calls us to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us – not only in daily choices and public policies, but also in our prayer, our worship, and our way of living in the world.”
Pope Leo XIV used the new Mass formula for the care of Creation for the first time on 9 July 2025, in a private Eucharist he celebrated at Borgo Laudato Si during his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo.
During this season we are encouraged to pray and engage in community events
Pope Leo's message for the Tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
