On St. Teresa of Avila’s feast day (October 15), we finally welcomed a long-anticipated newcomer to our monastery…the turbine for our micro-hydroelectric project! We nicknamed the machine Teresa, in honour of that dynamic Spanish saint. The turbine had actually arrived a few weeks ago, but had to wait for the framing, concrete pouring and final touches before being lifted into place in St. Anne’s (our name for the hydroelectric building). The day of the big lift, the community trooped down to the edge of Pilchuk Creek at 8:00 a.m. to wait for the arrival of the crane truck that would perform the lift. Meanwhile, our workman Ron and volunteers par excellence Peter and John were busy finalizing the rigging and giving the new concrete floor one final sweep. When the crane arrived, we held our breath, prayed fervently and cheered as the turbine was maneuvered into position on its steel and concrete frame. The positioning had to be precise, down to the millimetre! When all was bolted into place, our prioress Sr. Claire and chaplain Fr. Pierre LeBlond led a prayer of blessing, and each person present took a turn sprinkling the turbine with holy water.
This is a one of the last big steps in the micro-hydroelectric project, which has taken volunteers, sisters and workers countless hours of labour to bring to this point. Much of the initial work had been performed by hand to reduce the impact on the surrounding forest, and it is truly lovely to see these final big pieces coming into place. We’re looking forward to the completion of the project in the next few months, and to seeing it generate clean, renewable energy for generations to come.
