By Maria Ferris | Correspondent 

Those attending weekend Masses in St. George Church, Titusville, were reminded of the miracle of creation Sept. 2-3, as artwork by parishioners along with a 36-inch globe with an image of the earth taken were displayed in the church.

“This is a time to bring people to focus on God’s gift of creation,” Msgr. Vincent Garland said before the 11 a.m. Mass Sept. 3, speaking of the Season of Creation, which runs from Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, through Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Photo Gallery: Images of Creation exhibit in St. George, Titusville

To celebrate, the parish organized an exhibit titled, “Images of Creation,” under the leadership of Msgr. Gartland, a retired priest of the Diocese and weekend assistant in St. George Parish. The exhibit features paintings, photographs, drawings and more by parishioners and friends with the theme “The Beauty of Creation.”

This is the parish’s second year to hold the exhibit, but it is the responsibility of all to protect the earth, Msgr. Gartland said.

The 36-inch globe on display near the altar, for example, shows the earth as a unit, he said. “There are no frames, no boundaries. We are one. The sooner we get to that realization that we are all one on the earth, the better off we’re going to be.”

“We have to begin to move back to seeing the fact that we can’t harm any part of creation without harming all of creation,” he continued.

Parishioner Joy Wright said the globe symbolized that very fact for her, too. “It’s our job to take care of this big beautiful place.”

Reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’,” Msgr. Gartland  called the care for creation a moral responsibility. “Pope Francis calls for an integral ecology. Everything is connected, and we’re called as humans and as Catholics, as Christians, to be stewards of creation, to care for it, to cultivate it, to promote it.”

He also stressed that caring for the earth can teach humanity about gentleness.

“My hope is that we can begin to see the interconnection of all created things,” he said. “Once we realize that, we begin to see that we have to work with one another. We’re all in this together.”

“In the beginning, in Genesis, we’re created by God,” Msgr. Gartland added. “God sees it as good and asks us to care for creation.”

Those sentiments were echoed by parishioners.

“There’s nothing more beautiful than our world,” said Terry Evanko. “It was not created by man.”

Added parishioner George Skic, “We are all brothers and sisters on the face of the earth. It’s a huge family.”

Speaking of the exhibit, which can be viewed at the church until Oct. 4, parishioner Rose Gallagher said, “Some of these pictures make you appreciate the beauty in nature that we sometimes take for granted.”