The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC) Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon encouraged all people to adopt a, "Eucharistic and ascetic spirit," this Tuesday, Sept. 1, marking the 20th anniversary of the Day of Prayer of the Environment.

"The Orthodox Church has a long-standing commitment to healing the environment and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I marked this concern by emphasizing the need for all of us to exhibit a 'Eucharistic and ascetic spirit,' through a Day of Prayer," Kinnamon said in a statement.
Kinnamon also hearkened the importance of looking back on the original tenets of the Day of Prayer of the Environment, which was first established by the late Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Dimitrios I, who instituted the first day of prayer in 1989.

"It is our sincere hope and fervent prayer that in the years ahead, more and more of our Orthodox faithful will recognize the importance of a crusade for our environment, which we have so selfishly ignored," Dimitrios recorded. "This vision, we are convinced, will only benefit future generations by leaving behind a cleaner, better world. We owe it to our Creator. And we owe it to our children."

The NCC is an ecumenical fellowship representing over 100,000 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and other churches in the United States.