Hundreds of youth participate in interfaith service project

photo by Matthew Boerke

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Jesus Miramontes, from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Meredith Anderson from St. Thomas More Parish plant a tree as a reminder of the service project.

by Matthew Boerke, director

Youth and Young Adult Ministry

SALT LAKE CITY — Over 300 youth and their adult leaders gathered June 11, in an interfaith devotional at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Here, teen leaders of the Jewish, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox, Hindu, and Muslim faiths shared their dreams for a socially and environmentally healthy world. Mariana Estrada of the Cathedral parish sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Jake LaPutka from Immaculate Conception carried the American flag to symbolize the youth’s pride in their country and community. Lindsay John from Saint John the Baptist Parish prayed for a successful event. Others spoke about peace, harmony, justice, and stewardship. All present concluded the devotional by singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

The youth then boarded busses and headed off to their worksites. Environmental experts from the Bend-in-the-River Project and Soil and Water Conservation Assistance (SWCA) environmental consultants taught the volunteers about the river’s natural environment and how to distinguish a "good" weed from a "bad" or noxious weed. Armed with environmental awareness and shovels, the youth undertook a monumental service project to clean up the Jordan River Parkway. Most of the group spent their time clearing 800 South to 1300 South of invasive plant species. Some youth then planted native trees and bushes to help restore the area to its natural habitat.

Following the service project, the group concluded the day at Jordan Park which is located next to the International Peace Gardens. They ate dinner, even played drums, and made music together. Alan Bachman, an adult leader of the Jewish community, spoke about how trees represent common values to the various faiths and likened all mankind to branches of the same tree. Father Elias Koucos, a Greek Orthodox priest, further underscored how trees connect cultures and symbolize spiritual, creative, and personal growth. He emphasized how taking such affirmative steps to care for the environment makes the world a better place for generations to come. While the two men spoke, a tree was planted in the Brazilian garden, bordering the parkway. An engraved sandstone plaque lies next to the tree and forever marks this special day. In the end, all of the youth were pleased with their joint accomplishment. Most agreed they enjoyed meeting youth from other faiths and would like to see more interfaith events in the future.