New Working Groups - Please Join!

At the conclusion of the Feb. 11, 2023 showing of The Letter, the 47 attendees each divided into one of the focus areas for our work. The four groups are now developing purpose statements that will be posted when finalized. In the meantime, an early description follows. Anyone one interested in joining a group can let the contact person know. Contact persons for each area are:

Prayer: John Wilson

Education: Francis Todey

Advocacy: Chuck Glatz

Direct Action: Rick Brimeyer

Prayer, e.g.

• Plan/participate in liturgies during Season of Creation or Earth Day
• Pray for your own and others’ conversion of heart that Pope Francis cites as a prerequisite if we are to care for creation.

Education, e.g.

• Provide useful materials for school and religious education programs
• Lead or participate in small group discussions of Pope Francis’ teachings (e.g. Laudato Si’)

Advocacy, e.g.

• Contacting representatives on legislation that would either protect creation or prevent further harm
• Join public gatherings that call attention of to any of the multiple issues in care of creation.
• Work with community groups doing advocacy, e.g. AMOS

Direct action, e.g.

• Conduct energy audits for parish/parishioners
• Beautify with plants that provide for pollinators and birds.
• Join/Organize STA crews for clean-up, food shelf deliveries, cooking at Food @ First/Romero House.
• Join a local organization supporting immigrants.

Go Green this Lent with Meatless Meal Recipes 

Catholic Relief Services on their Ricebowl website offers a global wealth of meatless recipes – a very effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. Pick out some now so you are ready for Ash Wednesday – and beyond! From Honduras, Baleadas for four requires only ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 small yellow onion; 2 16oz. cans red kidney beans; 8oz. sour cream; ½ cup heavy cream; ¼ tsp. salt; 8 small flour tortillas; 2 cups crumbled white cheese. And would be a great one to prepare with the kids or grandkids!

Event Report: Energy Conservation

How Many Creation Care Team Members to Change a Lightbulb…

Alerted by Bobby LeBlanc that there might be an opportunity for converting to LED lighting in the rectory, three CCT members inspected the current lighting and were impressed to find that most had already been replaced with LEDs (as have a large number at STA). Nonetheless, they found 19 to change (see those changed in the photo) but had the wrong base size for six of them. Fr. Kyle has taken those exchanged for proper size and will bring the answer to “four” by replacing those last six candelabra bulbs. In your own home, you can do the same with one or two people. Be aware that there is a staggering array of LED options – and three different types of candelabra bases – to choose from. You can’t put replaced compact fluorescents in the trash, but there are disposal sites (those in the picture were put in the CF bin in the entry to Lowe’s).

Savings: The replacements for the 75W bulbs used by the CCT, are dimmable, use only 10.5W, have a 13-year life (20X that of the one replaced), and provide 1100 lumens (vs. 1170 lumens from the incandescent). The photographer did just that by himself the next day.

How many parishioners could do the same at their or their parents’ homes?  Get the kids involved!

Event Report: 2022 Season of Creation Prayer Event

October 2 Ecumenical Service:

  Ames Church and Civic Community Leaders Call Us to

 “LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF CREATION” THROUGH ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION

Season of Creation is an annual period of time recently set aside and supported by the World Council of Churches, the Catholic Church, and other faith communities.  The theme for 2022 included setting aside a time for the purpose of focusing on praise, discerning voices of the Earth so often silenced, and then through interfaith and interdisciplinary dialogue pledging to act to improve the common good of all life within the scope of our abilities and new understandings.

On October 2, St. Cecilia Catholic Church hosted a “Seasons of Creation outdoor ecumenical prayer worship and education event that included talks by seven different religious communities of faith and other civic and educational institutions.  About sixteen musicians and singers provided accompaniment that made a strong impact upon several of the people attending the event. The featured speaker, Dr. William Gutowski, described social and economic inequities that are resulting even now due to changes of climate conditions throughout the U.S. and world.  Representative from the following faith communities helped facilitate: Bethesda Lutheran Church, First Christian Church; Oscar Romero House (Catholic Worker House); Collegiate Presbyterian church: St. Cecilia Catholic Church; St.Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church; St. John’s Episcopalian Church; Trinity Christian Reformed Church; United Church of Christ, Universalist Fellowship of Ames.

Attendees returned pledge cards stating what actions they would take to care for creation.  The most frequently mentioned actions were these:

• 19  People said they would practice sustainability at home (for example keeping a water bottle, avoid buying products in plastic, recycling, food waste, etc.
• 16  Said they would research ways climate change and pollution is affecting the                                   world; pray for those most hurt by changes
• 15  Participants at the event committed intentions to go on nature walks around church grounds, to parks, or lakes; praise the Creator for the beauty of creation; take along trash bags to pick up litter.
•  3  People offered to create a poster with their family or classroom to remind us not to let water run, to turn off lights when leaving a room, and to shut down electronics.
•  8  Attending the service said they would act with family and/or classroom to address issues relating to the environment, for example by writing government officials, asking them to take action to protect nature in our area.
• 16  Offerings were made to plant pollinator friendly flowers at home or on school grounds.

   Event Report: Impact of the STA Solar Panel Purchase

In the past year, the Parish provided a $14,000 match to parishioner contributions for purchase of solar panels in the City of Ames SunSmart array. Contributions exceeded the match amount and 185 solar packs were obtained. The City of Ames Energy Services Coordinator recently reported that our panels provide and estimated 18% of the Church's (excluding Parking Ramp) electricity usage. He thanks the Parish greatly for our investment. Read the details of his analysis here.