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On the eve of the Day of Prayers for the Protection of the Natural Environment, St. Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church in Manhattan held Great Vespers for the Preservation of Creation. The service was celebrated by Fr. Nicolas Kazarian, St. Eleftherios parish priest and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Director of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations.
In celebration of the renewal of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Greening the Parish initiative, a panel followed the service, featuring speakers and researchers—Dr. Chris Durante from St. Peter’s University; Lily Kerhualas, a Ph.D. candidate from Fordham University; and Christina Leano, the Associate Director of the Laudito Si movement. The panel was moderated by Lily Talmers, who serves as Project Manager for the Greening the Parish initiative.
The Great Vespers for the Preservation of Creation was composed on Mount Athos by Monk Gerasimos of the Skete of Saint Anne—who was a hymnographer of the Great Church of Christ. The service, especially composed to celebrate the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment proclaimed in 1989, heavily integrates themes of repentance for humanity’s destruction of nature, cosmic renewal through Christ, and Old Testament readings (like Leviticus and Isaiah) that link human righteousness with the fertility of the earth.
> Previously: Cosmic worship, cosmic witness: Orthodox Vespers for the Preservation of Creation
“Put an end, O Savior, to the evil designs which are being devised against us by senseless intent, and turn aside from the earth every destructive action of the works of human hands which contrive corruption leading to perdition.”
The panelists examined the relationship between Christian faith and environmental stewardship, emphasizing the understanding of humanity as entrusted with the care of God’s creation. They discussed the place of creation within the spiritual life and the responsibility of Christians to approach the natural world with gratitude and reverence.
“Our encounter with Christ has to lead us deeper into our relationship with creation,” Christina Leano said. “So to care for creation is not an extra thing, an add-on, but actually a constitutive dimension of what it means to follow Christ.”
The discussion also considered the natural world as a means through which God’s presence and revelation may be encountered.
“That takes us actually going outside and turning our attention towards the environment, to the natural world,” said Lily Kerhulas, a Ph.D. candidate. “Thinking from a Christian standpoint opens up the possibility of revelation.”
The panelists also addressed the challenges of sustaining public attention to climate change, particularly amid frequent reporting on environmental disasters and the consequences of a warming planet.
Leano spoke of the importance of acknowledging the suffering associated with environmental degradation rather than becoming indifferent to it.
“We need to hold the suffering in our hearts,” Leano said. ““We can’t ignore it. And part of our work is to allow our hearts to be broken.”
Chris Durante approached environmental stewardship through the question of human flourishing, asking what conditions allow individuals, families and communities to live well. He contrasted that understanding with a culture increasingly shaped by the pursuit of material accumulation and consumption.
“We want a life lived well, we want well-being, happiness, and prosperity for our kin and our children going into the future. Look towards the book of nature, towards what that flourishing actually is,” Durante said. “The good life in the terms of a holistic understanding that isn’t just buying into some corporation’s version of it they’re advertising to you.”
Kerhulas further connected the Christian pursuit of theosis with environmental stewardship, describing creation as a means through which humanity can enter into deeper communion with God. Leano encouraged an approach to environmental work rooted in gratitude, hope and community, describing creation as a “joyful mystery to be contemplated.”
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