God’s Plan(et) is an initiative of Catholic Climate Covenant

New D.C. solar farm is response to Pope Francis’s call to care for Earth

Parishes and Dioceses Parishes and DiocesesAugust 23, 2023

The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington is using one of its properties to generate clean energy.

Catholic sisters living in a convent in northeast Washington, D.C., used to look out their windows at a big, empty field. Now they gaze out at a solar farm that, in spring, will have flowers blooming between the panels.

The convent sits on 14 acres of land owned by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. A few years ago, the group decided to use that property to make clean energy.

A five-acre solar installation now generates enough power to offset the electricity used at the group’s 12 buildings across D.C.

“So it’s driving substantial energy cost reductions to the tune of well over $300,000 a year,” says Page Gravely, president of Mission Energy.

The group helped plan and develop the project through a program called Catholic Energies.

READ MORE.

Latest Stories

Parishes and Dioceses
IMG 7077 scaled

Running with Purpose: Mary Queen Catholic Church Hosts 2nd Annual Creation Care Fun Run

On April 5, the Mary Queen Catholic Church Creation Care Ministry in Texas brought the parish community together for a joyful, faith-filled celebration of environmental stewardship with their 2nd Annual Creation Care Fun Run. Parishioners of all ages walked, ran, and laughed their way through an uplifting event focused on caring for God’s creation — […]

April 17, 2025
Parishes and Dioceses
021025 creation inside

Walking with the Spirit in the World: Catholic Creation Care Conference Draws 150 in Charlotte Diocese

On Saturday, Feb. 8, a vibrant gathering of over 150 Catholics from more than 40 parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte came together in Belmont, North Carolina, for a day of reflection and action around faith and the environment. The Creation Care conference, titled “Walking with the Spirit in the World,” took place at the […]

March 4, 2025
Religious Orders
Franciscan Sisters laundry

Franciscan Sisters lead Franciscans for Earth Initiative

It’s no secret that Catholic religious communities and orders have led the way for years when it comes to caring for God’s creation, and the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Missouri are no exception.  Sister Cheryl Kemner, the Franciscans for Earth Coordinator with the religious order, explained that while the sisters […]

August 30, 2024