Solar panels are seen in this aerial view of St. Mary Monastery in Rock Island. The monastery will be the site of an outdoor interfaith "Season of Creation prayer service on Saturday, Sept. 24. (Provided photo)

ROCK ISLAND — An outdoor, interfaith prayer service to deepen connections to God, the earth, and all of creation will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, on the grounds of St. Mary Monastery, 2200 88th Avenue West.

The hour-long service is sponsored by The Sisters of St. Benedict of St. Mary Monastery and the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (PDCCW). It will be a highlight of the “Season of Creation” that is observed annually from Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecologists.

This year’s theme is “Let Justice and Peace Flow.”

Since 2019, the monastery’s Creation Care Team has worked to strengthen the community’s commitment to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” through an action plan of education, communication, and increased sustainability. The monastery complex showcases many sustainable practices including geothermal and solar energy, native prairie plantings, and food-producing gardens. Participants in the Sept. 30 prayer service will be invited to tour the monastery grounds.

The PDCCW, meanwhile, has recently formed a Care for Creation Committee and is working to promote awareness, prayer, and action related to Pope Francis’ teachings.

For those unable to attend, the prayer service will be livestreamed on the Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery’s site on Facebook. For more information, contact Sister Sandra Brunenn, OSB, at (309) 283-2100 or  sbrunenn@smmsisters.org.