Over generations, the building of Europe’s cathedrals transformed society and economy with a vision of faith on earth. In the present day, our perspective has widened to include the natural world and all its people as our context for grace-in-action. While the times may have changed, the call to bring spiritual faith into practical form has not.

Today we face extraordinary global challenges: growing inequality, ecological collapse, mass extinction…  To our credit, we are not short of resources, ingenuity or know-how to meet these calls. What we lack most is perhaps the recognition that many of us have more than enough and that, in sharing, we bring to life undeveloped capacities.

The cathedrals of old offer a metaphor for the profound vision and collective commitment required to once again transform the epicentres for culture and thought. With a vision to gather, pool and share resources, the Cathedral Project aims to create the abundance required to steward our ecological gifts for generations to come.

We are starting with solar energy, the natural world’s most plentiful daily gift. By installing solar panels on community roofs, churches and temples, we then share the sun’s energy with our neighbours, who in turn share with others…  The effects of giving naturally create the abundance required to meet the challenges of our time.

The aim is to create solar projects that mimic the sun in its continuous offering. These solar installations will act as “giving trees” whose productivity will be shared in a pay-it-forward model to generate other solar sites. As the number of sites grows, so does the Cathedral Project’s ability to develop other projects. As with the cathedrals of old, this new way of looking at sharing energy  has the capacity to transform how we construct our societies.

The Canadian sponsors of this project are Newo Global Energy (www.newo.energy), a not-for-profit specializing in solar energy and (in discussion) Alberta Eco Trust (www.albertaecotrust.com).

Your church or community group can join our international community by sponsoring a project locally, or helping others.

This website is the beginning of a conversation. Let us know your thoughts, ideas and inspirations.

Join us in celebrating our common humanity and shared responsibility, as we look to steward the gifts of the earth for generations to come.