‘Flower lady’ brightens church
NEWTON — Darlene Binversie is affectionately referred to as “the flower lady.”
Your Catholic Neighbor: Darlene Binversie (Benjamin Wideman | For The Compass)
At St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, located in rural Manitowoc County, Binversie oversees the design and placement of the floral arrangements year-round in the parish’s new chapel, social hall and gathering space.
“I just like all kinds of flowers,” said Darlene, noting that her favorites are carnations. “They all have a purpose to beautify your surroundings.”
With assistance from her husband, Tony, Darlene has been handling the floral arrangements at St. Thomas the Apostle since the parish formed in 2000. Previously, she handled that same role as a member of two of the four parishes that were part of that merger — St. Isidore in Osman and St. Wendel in Cleveland.
“I’ve always loved working with flowers,” she said.
Typically, Darlene spends parts of Wednesdays and Saturdays at St. Thomas the Apostle coming up with design ideas and making sure plants are sufficiently watered. She spends additional days at the parish each week during holidays and other key religious times of the year.
Christmas and Easter are the busiest times, she said.
“At Easter, for example, when you have hydrangeas that need a lot of water I come here more often to make sure they’re taken care of,” Darlene said.
Some of the floral arrangements are created from plants the Binversies grow at their home in the nearby Town of Meeme.
“We plant calla lillies, gladiolus, cannas, zinnias and other flowers like that you can pick and use in church,” said Darlene, noting that a wide variety of plants and things like pumpkins can be included. “A lot of them have to be dug up and laid to dry, and then we put them in the basement and plant them again next year.”
Tony said it’s great that Darlene is so involved in helping St. Thomas the Apostle with her floral arranging skills. Coincidentally, the couple is celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary on Oct. 27.
Another supporter of Darlene’s work is Franciscan Sr. Marlita Henseler, pastoral leader at St. Thomas the Apostle.
“We’re blessed to have her talent and willingness to help,” Sr. Marlita said. “She does such a wonderful job.”
Over the years, Darlene has also handled floral arrangements for nine weddings.
“Back then, I created flowers from silk material and also for corsages or boutonnieres or whatever they needed,” she said. “That was a lot of work then. Now it’s all real flowers. I guess I just change with the times.”
Despite her vast experience, Darlene has never considered creating floral arrangements as a full-time job and she rarely creates designs for herself at home.
“Everybody says I should do it for a job, but I can’t even pronounce some of the names of the flowers,” she said with a laugh. “It’s just a fun hobby.”
The Binversies also get support from fellow parishioners at various times throughout the year. Some people donate plants or flowers during certain seasons, and other people donate money for the purchase of flowers when necessary.
“There are a lot of people who help with the flowers, and they all do a really great job,” Darlene said.
Darlene said her inspiration for floral designs comes from growing up in the countryside and having a mother who valued flowers too. She said she gets ideas from books, as well as seeing other people’s arrangements.
“The first thing I look at when I go places are the flowers, because I like flowers so much,” Darlene said.
On this particular Sunday, she pointed out a small arrangement placed on a table in the gathering space that incorporated feathers from a turkey that her husband harvested.
There are a few floral rules Darlene must abide by at church — like not putting bows on any of the flowers or plants, and not placing any of them in front of the altar, except for perhaps weddings or funerals.
Although her floral duties can be quite time-consuming, Darlene said she has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
“I want to keep doing this as long as God lets me,” she said.
Your Catholic Neighbor
Name: Darlene Binversie
Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Newton
Favorite saint: Anthony
Words to live by: “If you’re going to do something, do it now because you don’t know if you’ll have time later.”
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