The St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish - Gattaran (SCAP-Gattaran) concluded its observance of the Season of Creation 2026 on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, with the blessing and distribution of 300 fruit-bearing tree seedlings to families in the parish community.
Carrying the theme “Immersion in Living Water,” this year’s celebration drew from Ezekiel 47:1–12, where life-giving water flows from the temple, restoring barren land, reviving the waters, and allowing life to flourish. The biblical vision invited the faithful to see creation as a gift sustained by God and entrusted to human care.
The seedlings, provided by the Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office (PNREO) of the Provincial Government of Cagayan, were distributed to families following the parish Masses. Each family was encouraged to bring the seedling home, plant it, and assume responsibility for its continued care.
For Marilou Bayubay of Centro Sur, the initiative offered a simple way to practice stewardship in everyday life. “Aalagaan namin ito at itatanim sa aming bahay. Maliit man na bagay, makakatulong ito sa pag-aalaga natin sa kalikasan,” she shared.
The distribution gave concrete expression to the Church’s call to ecological stewardship. The families did not simply receive seedlings; they were entrusted with living gifts that require patience, care, and responsibility. As the trees grow and eventually bear fruit, they can provide nourishment while contributing to a healthier environment for the community and future generations.
The initiative also reflects the ecological vision of Laudato Si’, which calls Christians to recognize creation as a gift and to respond through a responsible relationship with the earth and with one another. Stewardship, in this sense, is not limited to environmental programs but is a way of living out faith through concrete choices that protect and nurture life.
For SCAP - Gattaran, the seedlings brought home by families became a concrete outcome of the Season of Creation 2026. What began as prayer and reflection was carried beyond the church and into the daily lives of families, where the work of caring for creation continues.
The conclusion of the Season of Creation was therefore also a sending forth. Families returned home with a seedling to plant and a responsibility to nurture it, transforming the theme of “Immersion in Living Water” into a continuing practice of stewardship, one family and one tree at a time.