(AoftheAP) Ask any priest or bishop what their primary function is, and most if not all will respond: "To save souls".
Fr Norbert Crombley, pastor of Our Lady of Sustainability, would add "...and planet Earth" at the end. To demonstrate his concern for the environment and the earth, he's launched a light bulb replacement program at his parish, the only one of its kind in America.
Called "We Are The Compact Fluorescent Light Of The World", Fr. Crombley's program asks his parishoners to bring in all their incandescent light bulbs in exchange for vouchers that will be honored at the local hardware store for energy-efficient CFL's.
"God appointed humankind stewards of the planet," Crombley explained, "so we're commanded to fulfill that role to the best of our abilities. I decided to encourage my parishoners to participate in a real and meaningful way."
Throughout the season of Lent, parishoners who bring all their incandescent bulbs to the parish office will receive a voucher for an equivalent wattage CFL. To date, one hundred and thirty-seven parishoners have taken advantage of the program, turning in over five thousand bulbs.
"I considered including an indulgence with the vouchers," Crombley said, "but it turns out I don't have the authority to do that. No one believes in indulgences anyway."
One parishoner, Kimberly Slite-Witt, took full advantage. "As soon as Father announced the program, I went home and took out every bulb and grabbed the extras from my husband's toolroom. A total of 64 bulbs. I think I was the first one."
When asked how the new bulbs are working out, she answered, "Well, some of my kids are complaining of headaches, and my husband's migraines have gotten worse, but since this is Lent, I just tell them to offer it up."
Another parishoner, Ryan Hamm, also took advantage of the program. "I dropped off all my bulbs after the 4:30 Saturday Mass and picked up my vouchers. Only problem was, the local hardware store was closed once Mass finished, and they're not open on Sunday's. So my house was totally dark the rest of the weekend. My wife was none too happy, but I think the sacrifice was worth it."
Fr. Crombley practices what he preaches, as well. He had all the bulbs in the church, the rectory and parish offices replaced. "Well, not all the bulbs," he admitted. "I left the ones in the confessionals, because no one goes in there anyway. Seemed silly to put a $5 light bulb in a room no one uses."
And what about disposal of all the discarded incandescent bulbs?
"The used ones are sent to a recycling center, while the good ones are repackaged and shipped overseas to help the poor," he answered. "So not only are we saving the Earth, we are also being 'light' to other nations. It's a win-win for all involved."
When asked about the apparent contradiction in sending light bulbs that allegedly contribute to climate change to poor nations, Fr. Crombley responded: "I see how you might think that. But really, climate change is only caused in rich, wasteful nations like the United States. It's been scientifically proven by people like Al Gore and Tom Hanks that poor countries suffer from climate change; they don't cause it. Even if they use incandescent bulbs - they're too poor to cause climate change."
Depending on the success of this program, Fr. Crombley intends to launch a "Gas-powered Lawn Mower Exchange" program over Father's Day weekend, whereby participants get their choice between a push mower or a couple of goats.
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