theleaven.com | vol. 34, no. 34 | april 26, 2013
Rosie Guetterman, right, and Karen Holland discuss what to do with the fabric at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Wea.
Volunteer Johnette Martin waters azaleas before the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kan.
Art and Environment Committee chair Sarah Devore places poinsettia plants around the crèche at Ascension in Overland Park.
No bed of roses Flower ministry is a labor of love
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Story and photos by Sheila Myers ichael Rebout took a much-needed rest Easter Monday. As a flower minister for the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kan., he had made it through another Holy Week, the most demanding time of the year because of all the decorating changes. It all starts with Palm Sunday. “You have to take everything down from Lent and put up the red,” he said. “Then after Palm Sunday, you take down the red and, for three days, you’re back to purple.” Then comes the Easter Triduum. “After putting things away from Holy Thursday, I got things out for Good Friday,” Rebout continued. “After our Good Friday service was over Friday night, we got ready for Easter Vigil.” Rebout made several more trips Saturday and Sunday to water and trim the plants. He logged more than 25 hours in Holy Week, and that’s not counting the efforts of the other eight volunteers who helped, including his wife Terry. The flower ministry is no bed of roses. For Rebout and others who perform this beautiful ministry, it’s a labor of love.
Learning what works Working with flowers is not just a ministry for Michael and Terry Rebout . . . it’s their livelihood. The Rebouts have owned and operated Michael’s Heritage Florist in Kansas City, Kan., for 39 years. Michael Rebout never tires of flowers. He finds them therapeutic, and even rises early during the summer to tinker in his own flower garden before going to work. “I love flowers!” he said. “I always have. They are never boring.” The Rebouts’ passion for and knowledge of flowers benefits their ministry with the Cathedral. If they run short of lilies or poinsettias, they can tap into their pool of suppliers. And with almost 40 years of floral experience, Michael Rebout knows what works. “I like hearty flowers — like carnations, mums and daisies — that tolerate the church heat,” he said. He’s also had success using kalanchoe, a tropical succulent with tiny flowers in light pink, dark pink and white. It, too, holds up under the harsh conditions of the church. He loves to try new things. Several years ago, he switched his decorating strategy. Instead of spreading dozens of small plants on the sanctuary floor for the big holidays, he created and installed huge planters, called “gardens.” “Everybody liked them because they were up off the floor and people weren’t tripping over them,” Rebout said. >> See “Ministers” on page 7
Terry Rebout carries Easter lilies to the Cathedral of St. Peter sanctuary. Terry and her husband Michael put in several long hours during Holy Week and other days leading up to the major feast days of the church.