Via Creationis
THE Way of Creation

BACKGROUND ABOUT THE VIA CREATIONIS

WHAT
Similar to how the Via Crucis commemorates the mystery of the Passion (a popular devotion in some traditions), the Via Creationis commemorates the mystery of Creation. It does so by reading side by side the two sacred books that God wrote: liber scripturae and liber naturae, the Book of Scripture and the Book of Nature, as Augustine of Hippo and others have taught throughout history. By reading both books together we gain a richer appreciation of the great mystery of God’s creation of the cosmos.

WHY
As Christians, we have put so much emphasis in our understanding of God as Redeemer (mostly because of theological controversies between denominations in past centuries) that we have neglected the importance of God as Creator. Leaders from different Christian denominations have flagged this, calling for more attention to God’s nature as Creator and to the great mystery of Creation. The Via Creationis helps us to prayerfully ponder this mystery and praise our Creator for the marvels of Creation.

WHERE
It is highly encouraged to pray the Via Creationis outdoors, in the “Cathedral of Creation”, if at all possible. Could be an urban park or garden, the countryside, or wild nature – the more silent, the better. Having a waterbody at hand – sea, lake, river, pond, or stream – would be ideal for the water-related stations, but is not essential if inconvenient.

WHEN
The Feast of Creation of September 1st (often celebrated on the first Sunday of September) and the extended Season of Creation (Sept 1 - Oct 4) are particularly special moments to pray the Via Creationis. It can also be prayed at other times throughout the year, with weekends standing out as particularly good times to pray the Via given their symbolism: be it on Saturday – the “last day” of the Genesis sequence in which God engages in contemplative rest enjoying the beauty of the cosmos – or Sunday – the “first day” of the Genesis sequence in which God initiates the mystery of the creative enterprise.

HOW
Following the Via Crucis logic, it is recommended that you: 1) identify beforehand 9 places that would be most suitable for each of the 9 stations (could be very close to each other or quite distant), and 2) prepare images depicting each station (as nature photographs, nature objects, paintings, sculptures, or homemade artworks), that you either place beforehand in each of the 9 places or simply carry with you to display in each station. Same as the Via Crucis, which has many variants (with various arrangements and amounts of stations), multiple ways of praying the Via Creationis are welcome. This guide provides some suggestions which can be adapted at will.

ABOUT
The prayer was originally conceived and drafted by the Laudato Si’ Movement. It can be adapted freely to diverse denominational audiences.

Given its ecumenical nature, a version of the Via Creationis was prayed at a Taizé event in the Vatican, in the presence of Pope Francis and leaders of all major Christian churches.