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The Archdiocese of Chicago and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago will Observe the Seventh Annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Friday, October 22, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, and Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago will preside over the ecumenical prayer service at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Glenview.   

Chicago, (Oct. 19, 2021) – The Catholic and Greek Orthodox communities of greater Chicagoland will gather for the Seventh Annual Vespers for the Care of Creation on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 1775 Grove St. in Glenview. Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, will preside at this special prayer service and will be joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago. The special prayer service will highlight conservation efforts of the local Christian community and is open to people of all faiths throughout Chicagoland who are concerned about the environment.

“This annual gathering is an important time for Christians to come together and pray for God’s wonderful gift of creation,” said Cardinal Cupich. “Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and other religious leaders are urging us to take decisive action to combat climate change and we must do our part to raise awareness about the impact of global warming on all of creation.”

Following the evening prayer will be a lecture from Chicago-based architect Doug Farr, entitled “The Role of Architecture in Caring for Our Common Home.”

“We come together in gratitude for God’s creation, but also to affirm the need to act with responsibility and urgency to protect and preserve the environment,” His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael said. “Just as we share God’s great and precious creation, so must our stewardship of the environment be shared every day and in every way—whether in our own households, in our communities, and in broader society.”

In 1989, the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I of Constantinople designated September 1 as a day of prayer for “the protection of the environment” for Orthodox Christians, a tradition that has been continued by his successor, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. Sharing Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s concern for creation, in 2015, Pope Francis established September 1 as the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” for Catholics.

By joining in prayer for the Care for our Common Home, Catholic and Orthodox Christians in Chicago are heeding the calls of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to protect creation, especially through prayer, education and action. In the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, “the ecological problem of pollution is invariably connected to the social problem of poverty; and so all ecological activity is ultimately measured and properly judged by its impact and effect upon the poor.”

The prayer service will be live-streamed on Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s website: https://www.olphglenview.org/events/7th-annual-solemn-vespers-world-day-prayer-care-creation or at https://vimeo.com/event/162709, which will be activated the day of the prayer service.

About the Archdiocese of Chicago 
The Archdiocese of Chicago, the third largest in the United States, serves more than 2.2 million Catholics in 247 parishes in Cook County and Lake County, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese, pastored by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, has more than 15,000 employees in its systems and ministries, including Catholic Charities, the region’s largest nonprofit social service agency. The Archdiocese also has one of the country’s largest seminaries. The Archdiocese’s 157 elementary and secondary schools comprise the largest U.S. private school system. Its schools have received 95 U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Awards.

About the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago 

Tracing its roots back to 1923, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is the diocese of Greek Orthodox faithful in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Indiana, and southeastern Missouri, consisting of 58 parishes and two monastic communities. The Metropolis is one of nine regions in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael. The general offices of the Metropolis are temporarily located in Lombard, Illinois.

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CONTACTS:

Susan Thomas

Archdiocese of Chicago

sthomas@archchicago.org

312.805.9102 (cell)

Chris Varones

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago

chris.varones@aesopgroup.com

312.213.3887