A Bright Future: Archdiocesan Solar Field Brings Power to Northern Colorado

Innovative environmental stewardship in the spirit of Laudato Si’ and St. Francis amid Colorado’s 300 days of sunshine

The fully operational Dove Solar project in Johnstown will provide power across Northern Colorado while stewarding resources in an eco-friendly way. (Photo courtesy of SunShare)

By Grant Reinicke

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures; especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun

In addition to a year of Jubilee in the Church, this year also marks the eight-hundredth anniversary of The Canticle of the Sun, St Francis of Assisi’s most lasting poem. This ode to creation links praise for the sun, moon and earth with forgiveness, peace, life and death, which are all forged in the fire of God’s love. This poem has inspired millions of souls throughout the centuries to appreciate Brother Sun and Sister Moon, who, like us, bear the imprint of our Creator.

Pope Francis even borrowed his saintly namesake’s refrain for his encyclical Laudato Si, which exhorts all people to appreciate every aspect of God’s creation — a call several popes before him have also made. Pope St. John Paul II published several documents diagnosing man’s “lack of due respect for nature” (World Day of Peace Message 1990). Pope Benedict XVI, too, famously said, “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation” (World Day of Peace Message 2010). Now, Pope Francis has dedicated his pontificate to moving his children to hear that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one (Laudato Si, 117).

Here in the Archdiocese of Denver, two people have responded decisively to the call to environmental stewardship.

For Tom Heule and Peter Rusin, Laudato Si’s vision resonated so deeply that they asked how they could implement the encyclical in the archdiocese, optimizing how the Church allocates her money to better serve those suffering from material and spiritual poverty in our communities.

In 2018, they initially considered renovating archdiocesan parishes and schools to equip them with new boilers — even potentially providing updated heating systems, environmentally efficient lighting and new windows.

But the idea encountered a roadblock: many of the buildings in greatest need of renovation have seriously strained operational budgets.

“Sadly, many of our oldest buildings with the most inefficient energy systems are located within parishes and geographies where we are serving the poor,” Heule explained.

Nonetheless, Heule and Rusin continued to work with Jake Bobrow and the Archdiocese, especially with Jarrett Larraway, archdiocesan director of real estate, to find utility savings that would benefit archdiocesan programs, especially if they were already financially strained.

(Photo courtesy of SunShare)

Fast forward seven years to Johnstown, August 2025.

Imagine nearly 150 rows of neatly arrayed solar modules, angling their shiny, obsidian faces towards the sun like daisies in an otherwise barren field. This 41-acre plot of land boasts the largest solar field owned by a Christian organization. Beyond their captivating appearance, the array can harvest a lot of energy with Colorado’s alleged 300 days of sun per year.

“The array could power 1,500 homes in Colorado for the entire year,” explained Rusin.

For five months, Dove Solar has been collecting sunshine, processing, storing and converting it into electricity that can be used to illuminate a kitchen light, an altar in a sanctuary or a school gym.

The seven-year journey to this moment was no walk in the park for Heule, Rusin, Larraway and the team. Wading through national and local regulations significantly slowed the process, throwing cold water on the initial buzz surrounding the project. When parishes, schools and charitable organizations across Northern Colorado first heard of the project and learned how much they could save, there was marked excitement. Then, suddenly, all their work had to be scrapped.

But with time, the team found solutions to the roadblocks they were presented, working diligently to steward the unused property and provide energy and cost savings across the archdiocese.

“We did it right,” Rusin said. “We worked to build protections into the contract [guaranteeing] that the Church will always be saving or earning money from building this array.”

With the freed-up financial resources from their environmental stewardship, parishes, schools and other organizations can continue their pivot towards mission in this apostolic age, finding other similarly creative ways to serve God’s children.

“There are other resources that we have out there that can be used to produce revenue. We can use that revenue to further the Church’s mission,” said Larraway.

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For more information on the Dove Solar project and eligibility requirements for parishes, schools or archdiocesan programs, click here.