Episode 1: Can a whole congregation go solar?

Welcome to our inaugural podcast!

 

Mission Energy is a solar developer exclusively serving the nonprofit market across the United States. We launched this podcast to provide a platform for the voices of the numerous and diverse nonprofit organizations. 

In this first episode, we learn from Fr. Jim O’Shea and Sr. Geraldine Klein about whole congregations of vowed religious who have chosen to go solar.

There is little doubt - our energy future is no longer about continuing to mostly use polluting nonrenewable energy sources. The use of sustainable renewable energy is accelerating across the world, and across all types of organizations. This podcast is dedicated to those nonprofit organizations advancing the use of clean energy. These podcasts will be short and succinct for you, our audience, to learn …. not only about these interesting and diverse organizations, but why and how they are deciding to advance their own use of clean energy.  

 

One subset of the nonprofit world is Catholic organizations. Three years ago, Mission Energy launched the Catholic Energies program, a service of the Catholic Climate Covenant, a 501 c 3 headquartered in Washington DC. Catholic Climate Covenant began in 2006 to raise awareness in Catholic communities about the importance of applying Catholic teaching on the environment to practical needs.

Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change, Laudato Si, further illustrated to Catholics the importance of protecting the environment. Catholic Energies exclusively serves Catholic owned properties to leverage solar and energy efficiency benefits. What are those benefits in the eyes of Catholics? As a nonprofit religious order, what makes their interest and decision making process unique? How is clean energy aligned to their Mission?

There are a variety of Catholic organizations across the world, and we are honored to launch this podcast with two of them - My guests are Fr. Jim O’Shea and Sr. Geraldine Klein.

Fr. Jim O’Shea is the Provincial Superior of the Passionists of St. Paul of the Cross, based in Brooklyn in the New York City area.

The Passionists are a Catholic religious community serving in the eastern parts of the United States and Canada in parishes, retreat and spiritual centers, monasteries and residences. Their motto is, “May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts.” He is also Director of ReConnect, an organization working with young men in Brooklyn to create a better future through entrepreneurship, education and service.

Through the Catholic Energies program, we are developing a portfolio of four projects for the Passionists, ranging across Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, and Puerto Rico.

Sr. Geraldine Klein is General Superior of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate in San Antonio, TX.

They were founded in 1893 for the purpose of ministering to the poor in their need. Their works in education, pastoral ministry, social work and health care have been an expression of this compassionate presence. Sr. Geraldine has spent 27 years ministering in Zambia. She also serves as Board Chair for the Healy-Murphy Center in San Antonio, serving at-risk youth who either dropped out or are in danger of dropping out of the traditional school system. Healy-Murphy youth can participate in accredited high school diploma or G.E.D. programs, and receive literacy and career development and training.

Through the Catholic Energies program, we are developing a rooftop solar array for the Sisters’ building in San Antonio.

— Page Gravely, President of Mission Energy

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Episode 2: Why should nonprofits partner with local solar contractors?