Six parishes and five Catholic schools in the diocese, including many from the Southern Tier, recently received small grants to assist them in raising awareness about global climate change and environmental justice.
The funds were distributed by the diocesan Public Policy Committee and were provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and local donors. Those receiving grants from the Southern Tier are:
Parishes — All Saints, Lansing; Holy Cross, Dryden; St. Catherine of Siena, Ithaca; Holy Family, northern Steuben/southern Livingston counties.
Schools — All Saints Academy, Corning; Holy Family Junior High School, Elmira.
Funds will be used for such initiatives as promoting use of compact fluorescent lamps, a type of light bulb that saves significant electricity; selling fair-trade coffee and chocolate; conducting a parish energy audit; focusing on care for creation in faith-formation classes; providing education about pollution and recycling; and holding school contests and making school displays and announcements.
Other grant recipients in the diocese are St. Monica Parish and Nazareth Academy, both in Rochester; Church of the Transfiguration, Pittsford; and St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Ontario.
The grant program is based on the Public Policy Committee’s commitment to global climate change as an education priority for 2007. Kathleen Dubel, who serves as justice-and-peace coordinator for Catholic Charities of Chemung/Schuyler, is the committee’s contact person for this effort. She may be contacted at 607/734-9784, ext. 135.
Tags: Environment
