This past December, I had the pleasure of attending a conference in Assisi, “The
Feast of the Mystery of Creation: A Deeper Catholic Exploration.” The theme
of the conference was the same as the earlier Assisi gathering held in March
2024: the possibility of establishing a universal feast on September 1 celebrating
God’s act of creating.1
The December conference, however, had a specifically Catholic
focus, as evidenced in both the arguments made and the identities of the attendees
(e.g., Vatican officials and Catholic scholars).
The discussion continued exploring the arguments identified at the March meeting.
For example, participants noted that the feast is needed in order to address a liturgical
lacuna: God’s act of creating is the one major belief of the Nicene Creed (“maker of
heaven and earth”) without a corresponding feast day celebration. Also, many
observed, it would be quite an ecumenical achievement were the Catholic Church to
establish the feast, given the prominence of September 1 in the Orthodox communion
and the fact that Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian communions have already
begun preparations to include it as part of their own liturgical calendars.