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8 . > Thursday, July 26, 2018 | 5 WAS DESIGNED WITH A REDUCED 5 CARBON FOOTPRINT IN MIND § SAIRA PEESKER © . 8 sairapeesker@ 8 metroland.com n S = = Pope Francis' latest en- cyclical urged Catholics to work toward replacing fos- sil fuels "without delay," noting "climate change is a global problem with grave implications." The congre- ~« gation at Saint Benedict ' insidehalton.com parish in Milton seems to have gotten the message, breaking ground July 11 for a new church that could one day produce more ener- gy than it uses. "It's a very modern and optimistic kind of design," said Paul Crawford, chair cof the parish's building committee. "We've taken a very green approach ... We won't be a big carbon suck- er." ~ The church, which Crawford hopes will be ready by Christmas 2019, has been designed to re- duce energy and water use, featuring geothermal heat- ing and air conditioning. The design also includes spots for future solar pan- els, which could take the building to energy-neutral or even energy-positive sta- tus, said Crawford. St. Benedict parish cov- ers some of the newest swaths of Milton, south of Derry Road, and was formed in 2012 after break- ing off from Holy Rosary parish. It has about 850 members, said Crawford, describing cramped condi- tions © at Holy . Rosary Church before the congre- gations split. "It was packed," he told the Milton Canadian Champion. "Especially at nine and 11 on Sunday, there would be people standing at the back, stand- ing at the sides." Crawford describes the congregation as youthful and diverse. "It's a new area with a high percentage of young families and some retired - people," he said, noting the congregation follows * St. Benedict's motto: All peo- ple are to be'welcomed as if they were Christ. "It's a great motto<or the kind of multicultural church we have. It's United Nations in our church." : Until | their church is constructed, the people of St. Benedict's will continue to meet at Our Lady of Fati- ma school. Parishioners have raised more than $235,000 of their $2 million MEDICAL New Fungal Toenail Treatment Available Call Foran Abpoliinen! . Milton 289.878.7334 ° Ask for the Genesis Light Therapy over 100,000 HAPPY FEET TREATED! 350 Main Street East Milton * medicalfootsolutions.com ' SOLUTIONS . Are you embarrased by your thick and discoloured toenails. building fund goal, said Chris Barroll, a spokes- person for the fundraising efforts. The total cost of the project is estimated at $15 million. The Diocese of Hamilton - of which St. Ben- edict's is a part - will front "$13 million, which the con- gregation will pay back over time, Barroll ex- plained. The church has .een de- signed by Toronto's Larkin Architect, which has worked on numerous other Catholic cHurches includ- ing St. Gabriel's in Toronto, . Holy Spiritin Barrie and re- cent updates to th& rectory at Guelph's Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate. St. Benedict's will be built at the corner of Yates Drive and Louis St. Laurent Avenue, housing offices, meeting rooms, a roomy 900-person worship space and a parish hall featuring floor-to-ceiling = windows. PROUDLY CANADIAN SY Several parts of the church will feature exposed wood ceilings, with a tower bear- ing a cross as the central fo- cal point outside. The sanc- tuary has a semicircle shape with designated space for wheelchairs, said Crawford. With . the design com- plete, the parish will soon accept bids from construc- tion firms interested in tak- ing on the project. They will open the bids July 27 and NCE 1971 'NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH COULD ONE DAY BE ENERGY-NEUTRAL FOLLOWING POPE FRANCIS" ADVICE ON SUSTAINABILITY, ST. BENEDICT'S Peter Wright/St. Randers Milton councillor Mike Cluett helps Diocese of Hamilton Bishop Douglas Crosby break the sod at the site of new church for St. Benedict's Parish. choose a firm shortly there- after, said Crawford, saying he expects the construction to take about 18 months. "In a perfect world, you'd phone the guy on a Friday afternoon and they'd have trucks rolling into the site on Monday," he said, noting - that in the real world, it might take a bit longer. "Our hope is that Christ- mas mass in 2019 will be in the new church. That would be our best hope." iC A 11,1 SS Ie YOU MORE For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com.