Group connects faithful to God,
nature
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published July 21, 2006
Detroit Water plays an important role in the faith of Catholics and the life of all. So parishioners from around the Archdiocese of Detroit are helping lead an interfaith effort to ensure that the water flowing through Detroit-area rivers remains the way God made it pure and life-giving.
"God has given us this wonderful, natural gift," says Lola Koch, one of a team of Catholics and non-Catholics alike who head up River of Life, a nonprofit project to protect the environment by caring for rivers in southeastern Michigan. "We are to take care of this gift, not abuse it, and use it for our needs."
River of Life, which has caught on at several parishes in the archdiocese, is a multifaceted program. People from Christian churches and other faiths gather to do environmental projects, educate the public on the importance of caring for the environment, and help people learn what they can do in their own communities and even in their homes to keep their local water supplies clean.
 River of LifeFounded: 1998.
Mission: To foster respect for God's gifts by promoting each individual's responsibility toward the environment.
What they do: Promote environmentally-friendly living; conduct projects to keep water supplies clean; educate the public.
Where they are: All over the Archdiocese of Detroit, particularly near the Clinton, Detroit, Huron and Rouge rivers and Lake St. Clair.
Web site: www.watershedprojects.org. For information on rain gardens, visit www.crwc.org.
Call: (248) 394-0389. |
The nonprofit focuses on the watershed areas of the Clinton, Detroit, Huron and Rouge rivers, and the Lake St. Clair watershed. It began in 1998 when Msgr. Robert Humitz, his parishioners at St. Daniel Parish in Clarkston, and others in the community undertook the project to act on a call from U.S. bishops to promote environmental stewardship.
"We would like everyone in each community to realize they have an effect on the environment," said Dolly Schenk, a parishioner from St. Daniel who helped found River of Life. "And that effect can be good or it can be bad and that it should be good."
The project has remained strong in Clarkston. People from the village gathered in June to take part in a River Day a community gathering in which a special project is done. In the village's Depot Park, they planted a rain garden, a landscaped area meant to soak up rain water and filter it into the ground. Rain gardens help decrease pollution and lessen the risk of flooding.
"We wanted to do something here to show people some of the things they can do in their own yards," said Koch.
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Photo by Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
A group of Catholic volunteers for River of Life standing near their rain garden at Depot Park in Clarkston are (from left) Dolly Schenk, Ann Clifton, Trish Hennig, Brent Cusino, Lola Koch, Gary Cusino and Colleen Schmidt. |
The rain garden project involved Catholics from a handful of nearby parishes, and people from other faiths, as well. Koch and others from St. Daniel helped organize the event, while a team of volunteers contacted the city, garnered support from local politicians and sought grants for the environmental projects.
St. Daniel parishioner Ann Clifton, for example, contacted the village to get the green-light for the project in Depot Park. It's a good way to help the city government think about its citizens resources.
"It makes their jobs easier," Clifton said. "We can get them to think more environmentally."
Importantly, too, the project drew some people deeper into their faith. Gary Cusino, a high school science teacher, bonded with his 13-year-old son Brent over the project which brought them both closer to their Church and their passion for the earth.
"It was a great way for us to get involved in the Church and it fit as a new way to learn about the environment," said Gary Cusino, who also helped seek grants for the project.
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Photo by Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
A duck swims in the Clinton River next to the rain garden planted by River of Life. | Still others, like Colleen Schmidt of Christ the Redeemer Parish in Lake Orion and Trish Hennig of St. Anne Parish in Ortonville, were able to use their God-given talents and passions for the rain garden project. Schmidt is a landscape architect by trade; Hennig is an expert on plants.
The garden was made from native plants meaning vegetation that's indigenous to the area, which can grow without the need of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and extra watering.
"To be a part of this and to help educate the public about using native plants to help the environment the feeling is one of great joy," Schmidt said.
River Day projects are just one of the major functions of River of Life. The organization also has an Ecology Sabbath Day celebration each year during the Easter season. Catholics, Jews, other Christians and even a Muslim imam have taken part in a ceremony to raise awareness of environmental stewardship.
Keeping it clean
In its handbook, River of Life offers many tips for maintaining a healthy environment. Among them:
Without harmful chemicals, two tablets of Alka Seltzer can clean vases, toilets, drains and jewelry.
Placing aluminum foil on the bottom of your oven and under stove burners means less mess, and less use of toxic cleansers. Plus, the foil can be recycled.
While doing laundry, use less detergent by letting clothes soak longer.
Read labels and buy non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners; the average household contains 63 products with chemicals harmful to the environment. |
Through its Web site and outreach to other churches, mosques, synagogues and municipalities, River of Life also educates the public on the effects their daily lives can have on the environment from housecleaning to car maintenance to lawn care.
In the end, it's all about taking the world God gave us healthy, clean and green and using it for His glory.
Said Clifton, "You don't turn your back on the gift of your environment."
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