By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor
Top photo credit: Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and Father Jean Felicien join the faithful celebrating the Care of Creation Mass in Our Lady Star of the Sea Beach Chapel, Manasquan. Vic Mistretta photo
Care for creation is not simply an environmental concern but an essential expression of Christian discipleship, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., said Sept. 1 as he launched the Season of Creation across the Diocese.
Photo Gallery: 2026 Care for Creation Mass
Celebrating a Mass for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in Our Lady Star of the Sea Beach Chapel, Manasquan, the Bishop called Catholics to recognize the natural world as God’s gift and to respond through prayer, gratitude and concrete action.
“Care for creation is not an optional concern,” Bishop O’Connell said. “It flows from our faith in Jesus Christ. As Pope Leo XIV teaches, it is ‘a duty born of faith’ because the universe reflects the face of the one who created and redeemed it.”
Watch Bishop O’Connell’s homily below:
The 2026 Mass marked 11 years since Pope Francis issued Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home and echoed the Diocese’s first Care of Creation Mass, celebrated by Bishop O’Connell in the same Jersey Shore chapel in 2015. The Bishop was joined at the altar by several priests who concelebrated, and the Mass was attended by parishioners of St. Denis Parish, which includes Our Lady Star of the Sea Beach Chapel and other area parishes, diocesan staff as well as representatives of the New Jersey Chapter of the Laudato Si’ Movement.
Reflecting on New Jersey’s oceans, rivers, forests and farmland, Bishop O’Connell recalled the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the storms, floods, fires and extreme heat that have continued to affect communities across the nation and around the world.
“When I preached here in 2015, I said Sandy showed us what nature can do to us, while Laudato Si’ asked what we are doing to nature – our common home,” he said. “That question remains.”
The worldwide call by Pope Francis came just a few years after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 devastated the Mid-Atlantic region and nearly destroyed the beach chapel, located just one long block from the Atlantic Ocean. A plaque marking the height of the water that had filled the beach chapel remains posted at the entrance, serving as a reminder to the congregants of the travails they had experienced that October and months, even years later.
A call rooted in faith
A distinctive element of this year’s gathering was the use of the official Mass for the Care of Creation, which was recently added to the Roman Missal and first celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in 2025.
Bishop O’Connell said the Mass Readings move beyond political and environmental debates to emphasize the Christian belief that creation belongs to Christ. Citing St. Paul’s teaching that “in [Christ] were created all things,” he challenged the faithful not to view the natural world simply as a collection of resources for human use.
“The ocean belongs to Christ. The forests belong to Christ. The air we breathe and the water we drink belong to Christ. And so do we,” he said.
His message connected care for creation with the Catholic commitment to protect human life and uphold the dignity of every person.
“If we grow careless about human life, we will grow careless about the earth that sustains it, and the reverse is equally true,” he said.
Bishop O’Connell encouraged families, parishes, schools and communities to examine how they consume resources such as water and energy, and how they manage waste.
“Every family, parish, school and community can do something,” he said. “Every Catholic can pray and rise from the prayer ready to act.”
“Creation is God’s work, God’s gift,” he said. “Care for creation is our work, and our gift back to God.”
A providential setting
Father Bill Lago, pastor of St. Denis Parish, said the location of this year’s Mass proved “providential.” He explained that several weeks earlier an incident on the nearby beach brought the consequences of pollution into sharp focus — about 60 syringes and other debris washed ashore, prompting town officials to close the beach for a weekend because of the danger.
“It heightens the awareness of creation and our need to take care of it,” Father Lago said.
Sense of ownership
Nancy Bardsley of the Manasquan host parish, St. Denis, said she attended that evening because of her deep love for the earth and her belief that she has a responsibility to care for it.
“Our earth – our environment – is something I care deeply about,” she said. “My family and I have been doing our best to be good caretakers of the earth and also to spread the word about the need to care for the earth.”
Ray Gabler, also from St. Denis Parish, said the beauty of creation points people toward the one who created it – God.
“It is all so beautiful,” he said. “When you think about it, the beauty of the flowers, the power of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, it is all a reflection on him.”
Terrence Thompson, coordinator of the New Jersey Chapter of the Laudato Si’ Movement and a member of the social justice committee in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, said Bishop O’Connell’s message resonated with him.
He particularly appreciated the Bishop’s emphasizing that care for creation is a fundamental part of Catholic faith rather than an optional addition.
“It is a moral responsibility,” Thompson said.
Brenda Rascher, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services, connected the Mass to Catholic Social Teaching, which includes a responsibility to care for creation.
“The publishing of Laudato Si’ was something people paid attention to,” she said. But the document is about “caring for all creation,” including human beings, Rascher said.