Green buildings at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh, N.C., are true to the spirit of its patron saint.
Pope John Paul II officially named St. Francis of Assisi the patron saint of ecology in 1979. It’s only natural then that the parishioners of the Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi in Raleigh, N.C., should take stewardship of the environment as seriously as they do.
“St. Francis is our saint,” says parishioner Tina Subasiac, who is a certified architect. “Stewardship of the environment is part of our tradition and faith.”
It also was an important factor in the design and construction of three buildings that the U.S. Green Buildings Council has certified as meeting LEED Gold standards. USGBC representatives presented the certifications during a ceremony at the church early last year.
The LEED Gold buildings are the Assisi Community Center, Elizabeth Hall Preschool and St. Mary of the Angels Chapel. A fourth building, the middle school, was certified as LEED Silver earlier this year. The total cost of construction on all four buildings was $13 million.
“Receiving any certification is an accomplishment; receiving four awards is indeed a rarity and reflects our parish’s 29-year history of concern for our environment,” says Marc Kielty, coordinator of ministry support. “This is an outstanding achievement as we will be one of the only church communities on the East Coast with the distinction of four LEED buildings.”