By Sisters Kathy Schmittgens and Kathleen Storms, Laudato Si’ Action Platform

During the upcoming Season of Creation 2026 (Sept. 1 to Oct. 4), we are all invited to step more deeply into the mystery of Living Water, entering Ezekiel’s vision of a river that brings life wherever it flows. Like the prophet who is led gradually into deeper waters, we are called to move from standing at the shoreline to immersing ourselves in God’s healing current—allowing grace to reshape our seeing, our choosing, and our commitments.

“Wherever the river flows, every living creature will live” (Ez 47:9). As we enter this season, we recognize water as both a sacrament of God’s renewing presence and a threatened gift that requires our courageous, collective response.

This invitation becomes a summons to speaking up and acting rooted in the SSND spirituality and global mission. Ezekiel’s promise that trees bear fruit because their roots drink from the holy river (Ez 47:12) mirrors our call to nurture life through education, accompaniment, and public witness. As water protectors, we stand with Indigenous communities, migrants, and all those whose access to clean water is endangered by environmental degradation and unjust policies.

This Season of Creation invites us to deepen our advocacy for watershed protection, climate justice, and the rights of communities disproportionately impacted by ecological harm. Immersed in God’s river, we allow our voices, ministries, and partnerships to flow toward the healing of Earth and the flourishing of all creation.

As we celebrate this Season of Creation, we encourage you to spend some time in personal prayer considering what WATER means to you as a Christian symbol and what it means to all of creation as a resource. Consider Blessed Theresa’s words, “The heart forms itself according to what it loves.”

What do you love about water? What do you worry about as you see changes in climate? What sadness or anger do you feel? What do you hear of communities that have no potable water? How is your heart calling you to respond in love?

There are multiple ways to respond. Choose one this month during the Season of Creation.

• Write a poem or paint a picture.
• Have a serious conversation in your community to hear what others are saying about this.
• Read about how data centers are adding to the problem.
• Find out if there are communities in your state who struggle to get clean water and especially how it affects the children in those communities.
• Write to state or federal representatives about your concerns.
• Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
• Make it a daily addition to your personal or community prayer this month.
• Pray with St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures.
• Respond in any way that forms your heart to what it loves.

Together let us form our hearts as citizens of the Earth to love this precious gift of water.

You can read and discover more about Laudato Si’ and the School Sisters of Notre Dame commitment to being a Laudato Si’ congregation on our dedicated webpages.