JAKARTA (RVA News): Catholic communities across Malaysia markeed the 2026 Season of Creation with a focus on water, not only as a biblical symbol of life and renewal, but as a resource increasingly threatened by pollution, waste and environmental degradation.
The Season of Creation, observed by Christians worldwide from September 1 to October 4, carried the theme, “Living Water,” inspired by the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing from the temple and bringing life wherever it goes.
In Malaysia, parishes, youth groups, and creation justice ministries turned their attention to rivers, forests, water sources, and the communities that depend on them.
The Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei launched the second year of its REGENERATE! initiative during a special Mass at the Church of St Alphonsus on August 30. It encourages Catholics to move beyond reflection on environmental problems towards practical action and ecological conversion.
At the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang, Selangor, parish activities focused on the meaning of living water and the Christian responsibility to protect creation.
In Ipoh, Perak, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate parish incorporated the theme into youth activities, including a Season of Creation Youth Mass. Natural elements and running water were used to connect young people with Ezekiel’s vision, followed by a youth creation camp.
The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur also organised activities around the theme. The Church of Our Lady of Fatima brought parishioners on an ecological excursion to Camp Red in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, on September 20, while the archdiocese conducted a 30-day digital faith journey pairing daily scripture reflections with practical environmental actions.
In the Diocese of Penang, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kulim hosted an opening Mass on September 1, calling the community to renewed stewardship of creation.
For Malaysian Catholics, the emphasis on water comes as environmental concerns increasingly intersect with public health, food security, indigenous communities and development.
Writing in the Catholic Herald Malaysia recently, Father Fabian Dicom, national director of Caritas Malaysia, highlighted the human dimension of water.
“Water is not simply another thing we consume. It is what makes life possible. And yet we waste it, pollute it, and increasingly compete for it. Some have too little; others use far more than they need,” Father Dicom wrote. Water is not merely an environmental concern but also a question of human dignity and justice.
The challenge for the Church in Malaysia is to ensure that ecological spirituality does not remain confined to liturgies and seasonal campaigns.
Faith must eventually move beyond church walls into concrete responsibility for the places where people live.
Malaysia’s Catholics are being invited to see “Living Water” not simply as a symbol of spiritual renewal, but as a reminder of the responsibility to protect the rivers, forests and communities through which life flows.
