Iowa’s Catholic churches go solar to heed pope’s call on climate change

August 21, 2017
By Kevin Hardy
Des Moines Register

NORWALK, Ia. — As the sun beat down on a recent Saturday afternoon, the mammoth air conditioning system at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church offered welcome relief to parishioners trickling in for evening Mass. 

While churchgoers filled the pews and hymns filled the sanctuary, 206 solar panels overhead converted the sun’s energy into power for lights, the public address system and the crisp cold air.