by Isabelle Camoin ’26 on October 2, 2025
Campus
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, a Mass for the Care of Creation was held on campus in Saint Dominic Chapel. The Mass was celebrated with Most Reverend Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., and Concelebrant Reverend Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G.
The early evening of Sept. 24 was filled with the spirit of stewardship. Providence College and Saint Dominic Chapel welcomed Bishop Lewandowski for the first time since filling his position in the Providence order. In turn, Bishop Lewandowski welcomed us all into a restorative tradition put forth by Pope Leo XIV on behalf of Pope Francis and the work he began to do with Laudato Si and with Creation.
Mass for the Care of Creation is a new celebration brought forth by Pope Leo XIV as a continuation of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si. The Church has recently added this specific Mass to the Roman Missal. The first Mass for the Care of Creation was held on Wednesday, July 9, by Pope Leo in Borgo Laudato Si, at the historic papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Borgo Laudato Si was Pope Francis’s project to actualize his encyclical writing on caring for our common home.
Overarching themes found in Mass—and in the work done in the name of Laudato Si—pertain to growing ecological concerns within the framework of understanding human relationships and the world around us. The encyclical asks us to consider: How do we care for others and the communities we belong to? How sustainable are both my views of the world and the actions I conduct based on these views? Bishop Lewandowski was appointed by Pope Francis on April 8 and officially became Bishop of Providence on May 20. Mass for the Care of Creation was both a celebration of the Earth and a call to celebrate the Earth. During Mass, Bishop Lewandowski asked listeners to examine both their friendships and their relationships to the world; how do we treat our friends? How do we treat and experience the world we belong to? He asked us to consider the world and the places we live as places to become friends with, to care for, and adore. During this mass, Bishop Lewandowski brought forth passion and honor in discussing these topics and helped to bring a resurgence in discussion of Laudato Si.