While the calendar says it’s supposed to be fall, many Americans are still dealing with warmer-than-usual weather.
That’s where Father John steps in.
Father John Grace at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hampton, Virginia, has never shied away from the topic of climate change. Recently, the priest filmed a video in his parish parking lot illustrating the importance of trees and the cooling shade they provide.
Donning a pair of aviators, Father John stands in the parking lot with a temperature scanner.
“I can’t speak to the larger climate movements or the weather patterns, but I can examine in my own world and here at the church a very important principle, and that is knowledge about what is happening and the choices we make to create counterbalances to those fears that we have,” Father John says. “For example, it is a hot day here in the summertime, so I will show you just how hot it is, here is the temperature of our parking lot.”
Squatting down, he aims the temperature scanner at the asphalt, which reads 151 degrees Fahrenheit.
“This parking lot will radiate heat long after the sun has set. It is creating and adding to the heat of other parking lots in the streets of the urban environment of Hampton. It generates its own heat, which causes all sorts of other problems to take place.”
Father John explains that at Immaculate Conception, the church has a wide open green space, full of lush grass and plants and tall trees. Father John takes the temperature of the lush, grassy green space — 73 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a 78-degree difference.
“In a cool breeze, I can look over and see the parking lot at 151 degrees, which means all our green space here in this church is compensating, indeed offsetting the heat,” Father John explains. “The parking lot has created these beautiful trees with their great root system that prevent flooding, the leaves that provide shade and habitat for creatures. These trees are, in fact, a helpful element in city living as well as this property. This was the space in which we had our parish picnics. You would never have a picnic in a parking lot, and it got me thinking about the whole debate about climate change and the need for us to be aware to create the balance.”
Father John spoke about the contrast between parks and parking lots.
“We need parking lots. That’s true, but are we also aware of the need to cool down the environment?” Father John asks. “Take a walk, park your cars far away from Kroger or Target or wherever you shop at the end of the parking lot, and walk across that parking lot to the store or to the restaurant.”
Father John reminds Catholics and all people of goodwill to walk a hot, climate-amplified mile in other people’s shoes.
“Consider the millions of people that have to walk across the hot and arid lands of their world to find water or to enter into relationships with their community members or to attend school,” Father John said. “Oftentimes in our world, we forget. We complain about the heat, but we’re not agents of creating coolness and refreshment. Balance is the key to all of our efforts here at Immaculate Conception. To be aware of the environment and to create the offsets that we need, to promote a healthy, balanced world.”
But Father John’s passion for trees extends far beyond this short video. Since 2019, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church has donated over $25,000 to plant 32,000 trees in Kenya. Father John and parishioners worked with The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST) to help communities in Meru and Nanyuki.
“People say, ‘What about Africa?’ I said, ‘Well, they’re baptized and they receive the Eucharist every weekend.’ In other words, they’re us and we are them. I love that we’re the body of Christ,” Father John told the Covenant in an interview.
After parishioners sent 5,000 trees to Africa, they planted 10 trees on their own parish grounds.
“For every thousand trees we would send, we were gonna plant one on our own property,” Father John said. “And that actually turned out well, because we’re about adding to our own backyard. We’ve since put about 15, 20 trees back there.”
Around 217,000 farmers involved in TIST are effectively combating the destructive impacts of deforestation, soil erosion, famine, droughts, and floods in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and India through tree-planting initiatives.
In January of this year, Father John and three parishioners went to Kenya to see firsthand how the tree-planting program was paying off. The quartet discovered that the community’s farmers were thriving, not just from the reduction of climate change-related issues, but from the monetary benefits and community ties strengthened through the trees.
“They loved it, they absolutely loved it,” Father John said. “When we got back, we did a presentation about our trip, and the place was packed. … We raised another $7,000.”
Father John said that meeting parishioners where they’re at and educating them about the interconnectedness of everything is ultimately key.
“Three popes have been moving in this direction, and it’s not because they were politically driven,” Father John said. “… Education is huge. … I am so proud of our parish.”
