SAGINAW - Sister Mary Ruth Rault has won hearts on both sides of the bars at the Saginaw County Jail.
Rault, 75, retired in the fall after serving 14 years as a jail chaplain. Her work with inmates changed lives and earned her a place as a Saginawian of the Year for 2006.
"Sometimes, it was disheartening seeing the same people come back. But we can never give up."
Saginaw County Jail Chaplain Abigail Eltzroth nominated Rault.
"She has worked tirelessly in difficult and dangerous conditions," Eltzroth wrote in her nominating letter. "She has brought to her ministry an unconditional love for all humanity, even the most depraved.
"Over the years, she has freely offered her wisdom and words of encouragement not only to the inmates but also to the guards and the other chaplains that serve in the jail.
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Rault had a simple approach to working with jail inmates: She separated the person from the crime. In a Jan. 16, 1994, interview with The Saginaw News, Rault said she never asked inmates why they were serving time.
She saw only human beings.
"What could you say? What adjectives would you use?
" Sheriff Charles Brown said of her.
"She's fantastic. She's irreplaceable.
She does so much for so many. She has probably saved more people in the county than anyone I know. She has helped them turn their lives around.
That's the most important thing I can say about her.
"She has made a difference in a lot of people's lives."
Brown witnessed transformations as inmates evolved through their interaction with Rault.
"You can actually measure what she has done," the sheriff said. "I've watched her work. She's quiet, yet you know when she gets done, she's made a big difference.
She wants no fanfare. She has never looked for any kind of attention or accolades. I wish we could have five or six more of her.
"
Rault, a New Orleans native, joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1949 at 17.
Health concerns forced Rault's retirement from the jail detail.
She now volunteers at the Seton Cancer Institute at St. Mary's of Michigan hospital.
Before arriving in Saginaw, Rault served as a teacher and hospital business manager.
She also has worked in pastoral care with oncology patients. Her first jail assignment was in Wayne County. All told, she has spent 25 years in jail ministry.
Rault's duties at the jail included pastoral counseling and providing Sunday church services.
"We would pray, and we would talk about whatever they wanted to talk about," she said. "Usually it would take a few times for them to open up.
They had to wait to see if they could trust me."
Rault also left a lasting impression on the jail environment. She spearheaded a movement that brought Alcoholics Anonymous meetings into the jail.
She brought in volunteers to conduct classes in anger and stress management classes, drug abuse and even crocheting.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop on Tuesday criticized suggestions that Michigan raise taxes to alleviate a potential $800 million budget deficit and added that the state's next business tax should bring in less revenue.
The Rochester Republican said he opposes Democratic Gov.
Jennifer Granholm's stance on a replacement for the Single Business Tax, which expires at year's end and generates $1.9 billion a year. She has said the state must replace all the money or face deep cuts to education, health care and other services.
"What they're asking us to do is replace a tax with a tax, which I think is unacceptable," Bishop told reporters after speaking to the Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club. "It doesn't solve the problem. It only fans the flames and treats the symptoms.
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He wasn't any warmer to the idea of lowering the overall sales tax rate but expanding the tax to services such as movie tickets and dry cleaning, something some groups and economists have supported.
"It's not an option for us right now," Bishop said. "We've got to find a way to rein in government.
A tax on services and all the other proposals that we've heard simply don't position Michigan for the future and really are a further impediment to our success in the future."
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd insisted that the SBT replacement plan must be revenue neutral.
"We are facing a budget crisis," she said Tuesday.
Bishop said Senate Republicans will unveil their own SBT replacement plan in coming weeks.
Revenues for the budget year that began Oct. 1 may fall $556 million short of what was forecast, meaning the state could face a deficit of more than $800 once increased costs for health care, prisons and other items are figured in.
Some lawmakers and advocacy groups say the time is right for the state to consider some sort of tax increase or restructuring to help pay the bills.
University presidents, college students, mayors, police officers, fire fighters and health care providers planned to hold a news conference today to outline how $3 billion in state budget cuts over four years have harmed public services they say Michigan needs to have a prosperous economy and safe, thriving communities.
K-12 school districts got $210 more per student in the current academic year, but they could lose as much as $224 per student if cuts are needed because the economy has left the school aid fund with less money than expected.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, introduced legislation Tuesday that would prevent any cuts in school funds by shifting $377 million from the general fund, which already faces a deficit of its own. The general fund pays for prisons, universities and other programs.
Boyd said the governor wants to protect public education, but that Moolenaar's plan is "using money that does not exist."
Bishop, when asked if schools could lose $200-plus per student in a budget-balancing plan, said it's an option but added that lawmakers will do everything possible to keep that from happening.
Granholm is expected to unveil her budget plan in early February.
Keywords: County Jail, Jail Chaplain, Saginaw County Jail, Saginaw County, Business Tax
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