Tempo del Creato is the Time of Creation. As we draw near to the end of Creationtide, Cathie Alexander, churchwarden at St. Leonard's in Assisi shares with us this story on the Tempo del Creato service of ecumenical prayer. 

Our mission in Assisi has always been to welcome pilgrims to an Anglican Eucharist in the heart of the city of St. Francis and St. Clare. St. Francis was the patron saint of animals, merchants and ecology - a reminder of our duty to care for the animals in creation as we celebrate Creationtide and put our celebrations into action all year round. 

Pictured: Mark with an olive tree given to St. Leonard's at the Tempo del Creato service 2021 for our help with Eritrean migrants

Our chaplains come on a monthly rotation from all over the world. The wardens and treasurer work closely with Brother Benedict, SSF Minister Provincial, who organises the rotation. Thanks to Monsignore Domenico Sorrentino, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Assisi, and Marina Zola, the ecumenical officer, we have strong links with the Catholic Diocese.

We regularly host one of the evenings of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and each year we join in the Tempo del Creato (Time of Creation) service of ecumenical prayer. This year at the tranquil Santuario della Madonna dei Tre Fossi, the focus of the service was on ‘few words, much silence, and song’. I invited everyone to unite in a four-minute contemplation, focusing on a natural object as an expression of the creative mind of God. Church members then sang in English "All creatures of our God and King" based on the Canticle of the creatures.

Future visitors to the Church of St Leonard's in Assisi will be amazed by a major restoration to the frescoes on the street facade completed during the Pandemic. The frescoes date from 1429 and you can read about them in our quarterly newsletter called Assisi Outlook which now reaches over 1000 email addresses of past pilgrims and visitors. Anyone who would like to have access to these or be on our mailing list can email our publishing editor Gordon Trigg on assisi.anglicans@gmail.com and ask for Nos 56 and 58. You can read the latest edition here. 

To keep updated and learn more about St. Leonard's in Assisi, you may follow their Facebook page here. 

Photos: With grateful thanks to Cathie Alexander and friends at St. Leonard's, Assisi.

Join us at our pan-diocesan eco event "Caring for our Climate" on 29 October at 16:15 BST/17:15 CET.

Keep an eye on our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for further updates.