Detroit — Catholic schools have a long tradition of promoting a spirit of service among their students, and two local high schools — University of Detroit Jesuit and De La Salle Collegiate — show that with major service efforts this fall.

Members of the Class of 2011 at De La Salle — a Christian Brothers-sponsored school in Warren — worked at a variety of sites on Oct. 13 as part of the school’s second annual Senior Service Day.

The entire student body of University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy — more than 850 students in grades seven through 12 — worked Oct. 26 at historic Fort Wayne in southwest Detroit or at various sites on Belle Isle, the city’s island park on the lower east side, as part of their Pledge Detroit! day of service.

De La Salle seniors worked on a Habitat for Humanity homebuilding project in Pontiac, at the Special Dreams Farm for developmentally disabled adults in St. Clair, at the St. Rose Senior Center in Detroit, the Capuchin Ministries’ Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit, or at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Clinton Township.



Some De La Salle students returned to their elementary schools to assist with projects such as tutoring or maintenance.

The day saw some students serving at St. Clement in Center Line, St. Thecla in Clinton Township, St. Paul on the lake in Grosse Pointe Farms, St. Clare of Montefalco in Grosse Pointe Park, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse Pointe Woods, St. Mary in Mount Clemens, Holy Family Regional in Rochester, three St. Clair Shores schools — St. Germaine, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Joan of Arc, and in Warren, Immaculate Conception Ukrainian and St. Anne.

“It was nice to give back to the people that helped me grow into the person I am today,” said senior Kevin Mitzel, who worked at St. Thecla Grade School.

“When I got there, it felt as if I had never left. I am blessed to have had the religious opportunities I had at St. Thecla and am having at De La Salle. These experiences bring me closer to God and a deeper understanding of my faith.”

Fellow De La Salle senior John Keith, who worked at the St. Vincent de Paul store, said, “If there is one thing that students can take away from this experience, it’s the fact that the world has people who need. To fulfill those needs of people in your community is an uplifting and heartwarming experience. It’s something that all of us need a little more of in our lives.”

Bro. Robert Carnaghi, FSC, president of De La Salle Collegiate, said he sees “real growth” in the students when they recognize they can make a difference.

“St. John Baptist de La Salle instructed his teachers to touch the heart of each student. In turn, it’s fundamental we ask our young men to touch the hearts of others by serving those in need,” he said.

For the U of D Jesuit students, Pledge Detroit! replaced their traditional walkathon fund-raiser with a new concept built around service to the community. So, the students solicited pledges of monetary support not for each mile walk but for each hour worked.

And they raised about $150,000 to help provide scholarships to the school, said senior Keith Alangaden, one of the co-chairs.

“It was incredible to see the amount of work they were doing,” said Alengaden, who helped coordinate the efforts at Fort Wayne and on Belle Isle.

Primarily upperclassmen worked at Fort Wayne, the former U.S. Army facility from Detroit’s early history, removing invasive species of plant growth, clearing underbrush and even cutting down some trees, he explained.

On Belle Isle, younger U of D Jesuit students worked at several locations. Some helped prepare the Haunted House for Halloween in the tunnels beneath the Belle Isle Casino, while other crews cleared brush from around a monument or at the Belle Isle Police Station, and still others planted tulip bulbs on another part of the island.

Fellow U of D Jesuit senior Grant Demeter, who was among the students working at the police station, said “Belle Isle was a very beautiful place, but it is a lot more beautiful after we cleaned it up.”

Jesuit Fr. Karl J. Kiser, president of University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, said, “It is extremely gratifying that this initiative came from the students. It really shows that our mission ‘to form Men for Others’ is not just a slogan but a reality in their lives.”