Stockton Standing Up -

You CAN make a difference	Please support us. Click here to donate.

Catholic parishioners discuss air pollution in S.J. Valley at workshop

Published in the Stockton Record on 07/29/05

Zachary K. Johnson
Record Staff Writer
Published Friday, Jul 29, 2005

STOCKTON -- Parishioners from churches across the six-county Catholic Diocese of Stockton gathered Thursday night to do more than pray about the polluted air in the San Joaquin Valley.

They came to learn about the causes and results of air pollution so they can teach others and work toward improving the air they breathe, said organizers and participants.

Rich Fowler, director of Catholic Charities in Stockton, said concern about the environment is in line with their religion because their faith is about life. "It's impossible to care about the unborn, or care about people at the end of life, if we don't care about the envelope that holds life," he said.

The project was started a year ago by Bishop Stephen Blaire of the Stockton Diocese with a series of meetings with parishioners, Fowler said.

Inside the Guadalupe Hall at St. George's Church in south Stockton on Thursday, a lighted candle burned and a pot of decaf coffee stayed warm on a hotplate as a projector beamed the evening's PowerPoint presentation.

Kevin Hamilton, a Fresno physician and respiratory therapist, defined smog and other types of air pollution to the 20 people present. Seven of the 10 cities in the country with the worst air are in California, he said.

"The church is in its education phase," said Betsy Reifsnider, the environmental justice coordinator for the diocese. "We'll take the education back to our parishioners so over time we can clean up the air in San Joaquin," she said.

"Air pollution levels in the San Joaquin Valley consistently exceed state and federal standards, according to the state Air Resources Board."

"Most people wouldn't think the church would be involved with air pollution," said Bill Loyko of Stockton.

Loyko, who is not usually active in the church's social movements, has been involved in church discussions about air pollution. He said it is a way for people to learn how to apply their faith by helping the environment.

Thursday's workshop was the first of three. The others will be at St. Anthony of Padua at 505 East North St. in Manteca on Aug. 25 and at the Church of the Presentation at 1515 West Benjamin Holt Drive in Stockton. The workshops culminate in an environmental justice weekend at the end of October.

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at 209 546-8255 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.

Use your browser BACK button to return, or click on a link below.