Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will open the Season of Creation celebration on Sept. 1 with a Mass at 2 p.m. on Sept. 1 at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral). Mass will be preceded by a Holy Hour.

Sept. 1 is the date set by Pope Francis as the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, as the Orthodox Church has done for some time now,” he said.

In announcing on Aug. 10 the new Catholic event, Pope Francis said, “As Christians we wish to offer our contribution toward overcoming the ecological crisis which humanity is living through…” and which calls them to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to “an ecological conversion” and that “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”

In a circular, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle the Season of Creation is when “we thank God for the many ways He has gifted our land and resolve to cherish and protect what remains of this bounty for this and future generations of Filipinos.”

Celebration in Manila will include ecology exhibits, children’s forum on “Laudato Si,” ecology quiz bee and story-telling.

In his circular, Tagle called for support to “the Global Catholic Climate Movement that aims to gather 10 million signatures to call on world leaders to sign the commitment to limit the increase of the global temperature to below 1.5 degrees centigrade.”

Video advocacy contest

The Dominican Network (Domnet) Youth Group is holding the TV Upgraded: Truth-in-Video Advocacy Contest in connection with the 800th anniversary of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, next year.

Theme of the contest is “Preaching the Beauty of God’s Creation,” which is adapted from Pope Francis’s encyclical, “Laudato Si.” Entries are expected to present how truth, in the light of faith in God, is essential to protecting and conserving the environment.

Contest has two divisions: for bona-fide high school and college students.

Advocacy videos must be in .MOV/.MP4 file format, with 1920×1080 video size.

Video length is limited to 60 seconds, excluding a five-second title screen, which shows the names of the producer, production staff (if any), and the school and its address; the title of the work and its running time.

Participants are encouraged to use original or royalty-free music.

Participants must submit a written endorsement from their school or department heads.

Any form of professional assistance is prohibited.

Deadline of submission is Sept. 8. Send entries to the Office of Social Communications, 3/F, San Pio V Building, Santo Domingo Church Compound, 537 Quezon Ave., Quezon City.

Entries must be sent with a number of attachments. Go to the Dominican Network Youth Group Facebook page to find out.

Ten finalists will be announced on Sept. 15. Afterward, Domnet will upload the finalists on its Facebook page. Ten percent of the overall score of each entry shall be based on each entry’s number of shares. Deadline of Facebook shares will be on Sept. 22 (11:59 p.m.).

Announcement of winners will be on Sept. 26. First place winner will get P20,000; second, P 10,000; and third, P 5,000.

Call 3544611, 0943-7257292; e-mail domnetyouthgroup1995@ gmail.com.

E-mail announcements to lzulueta @inquirer.com.ph or noelmogate11 @gmail.com.