The Green Cell of Our Lady of Visitation Church in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, organized a Circle Time Prayer on September 10 as part of the Catholic Church’s Season of Creation 2026, focusing on the theme “Living Water – Caring for Creation, Protecting Our Waters.”
The prayer service brought parishioners together to reflect on water as a gift from God and on their responsibility to protect water resources and the wider environment.
Navi Mumbai is a planned satellite city of Mumbai, India’s financial capital, in the western state of Maharashtra. Our Lady of Visitation Church is part of the Archdiocese of Bombay.
The prayer began with a reading from Genesis 1:20–22, recalling God’s creation and blessing of aquatic life. A lamentation followed, expressing sorrow over pollution, improper waste disposal and other forms of environmental degradation affecting water bodies and aquatic ecosystems.
Participants then offered prayers for the protection of water resources, aquatic life and creation. Taizé chants, including Laudate Dominum and Tu sei sorgente viva, accompanied the reflections.
A central feature was a symbolic water-body installation created by the Green Cell. Participants placed cut-outs of aquatic creatures in the display, representing the flow of living water from the baptismal font toward the wider creation.
The installation, made with satin drapes and aquatic-animal cut-outs, connected baptism, the Holy Spirit and the life-giving presence of God in creation. It was blessed by Fr. Anand, spiritual adviser to the OLVC Green Cell, and will remain in the church until October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
The parish will also celebrate a special Season of Creation Mass on September 20.
The initiative drew inspiration from Ezekiel 47:9: “Wherever the river flows, life will live.” The symbolic river beginning at the baptismal font represents the Holy Spirit and extends toward different forms of aquatic life, highlighting the interconnectedness of creation.
Eco Warrior Valencia D’Souza said the reflection connected the life-giving role of water with God’s grace.
“Just as water cleanses and sustains all living things, God’s grace renews our spirits and satisfies our deepest spiritual thirst,” she said.
Anna Fernandes, secretary of the parish pastoral council, said the prayer service encouraged her to move from thinking that something “can be done” to taking personal responsibility for protecting water and aquatic life.
Green Cell member Jacqueline Guedes said the experience brought “joy, awareness and repentance,” inspiring participants to conserve and protect water.
Annie Gomez, head of the Green Cell, said the theme called the community to become responsible stewards of creation. She noted the participation of adults and young Eco Warriors, saying care for the common home was a responsibility shared across generations.
The initiative followed guidance from the Archdiocesan Office for Environment during a meeting led by Fr. Luke Rodrigues, spiritual director, with members of the environmental team.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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