Bishop John Noonan | Diocese of Orland website

Sacred Heart Catholic School in New Smyrna Beach is celebrating and educating students about the Season of Creation, which runs from September 1 through October 4. Maria Bilodeau's theology students designed a cardboard television to present the story of Creation to Pre-K children.

"By working with younger kids, students learn leadership, display creativity, and model respect for each other regardless of age, gender, and other differences," said Bilodeau. "As this project-based learning is linked to the Season of Creation, it is going to be a holy activity."

The older students also created a Creation Table covered in a green cloth symbolizing Ordinary Time. The table features a candle, crucifix, image of St. Francis, a plant, some stones, and a small globe as part of a visual prayer table for the preschoolers. A short prayer service before the collaboration set the tone.

In 2015, Pope Francis officially declared a Season of Creation in the Church as an ecumenical opportunity "to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which He has entrusted to our care, and to implore His help for the protection of creation as well as His pardon for the sins committed against the world."

The Season of Creation culminates on October 4 with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.

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