Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Patrick Parish,
I always enjoy the Cleveland Home and Garden Show. 2022 was no exception as I find it to be a therapeutic break from the long winter weather. This year, I arrived with some very specific objectives. One of those goals was to learn more about generator backup systems when power goes out in our neighborhood (which occurs a number of times each year). How much do these things cost? How are they engineered? How are they fueled? How large if we need it to provide power for our parish refrigerators and heat systems?
To my wonderful surprise, I met Dean. In addition to generators, his company installs solar power systems to help convert buildings. He graciously accepted my invitation to come to Saint Patrick to see potential options if we were to ever consider utilizing solar energy on our campus. After assessing our buildings he came up with some helpful possibilities. Very exciting options should we ever install solar options and/or backup generators for some of the campus. I am sharing these findings with our Facilities Committee, Restoration Committee, Parish Council, and Creation Care Committee. Perhaps we can even share it with other interested parties after weekend Masses.
One of the key points from his assessment, considering our buildings and financial realities, is that the existing conditions of the buildings would dictate a multi-energy approach; that is, some could be solar while other components would continue to require direct electrical and natural gas sources. The combined utilization of various sources, however, would lead to efficiency and savings after the initial investments. No action is required at this time as Dean offered his services whenever we would be so inclined. I am grateful for his work and his expert guidance.
I am also grateful to Creation Care as we apply for grant money to study potential ways to make our surface parking lot and overall campus more environmentally friendly. This would include exploring options that allow rain water to be absorbed into the earth instead of being channeled into the overtaxed sewer system.
As we continue to observe the Season of Creation, let’s continue to explore the possibilities of having our parish campus witness to the care of God’s creation. As I firmly believe the inside of the church needs to reflect our theology so, too, must our entire campus as we make connections among what we believe (Faith), how we express it (Prayer/Worship), and how we apply it (Daily Life).
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Gurnick