Thank you for your prayers and support

Dear Friends and Fellow Parishioners,

Last year at this time, you generously offered to pray for women who were entering into the latter stages of the Rite of Christian Initiation in a prison that I visit weekly. Many of you followed and read the blog that I wrote about their journey. 



Sponsor AB.

 

      Two of these women are now out of prison. I recently heard from AB and RS. Both are doing well and have found jobs. They are holding strong to their faith and attending Mass regularly. As you may recall AB was the sponsor for RS.

Confirmee RS.

RS returned to her home on a reservation in Arizona. She says that she will never forget the experience of receiving confirmation and knowing how much all you supported her. She sends her thanks.

This year we have three more women who are preparing for confirmation. Two of the women have never had any kind of Catholic religious education.  I will refer to them as EL and CG. The other is AR, who was brought up Catholic and has received her first communion.  These women along with their sponsors, TS and LC have completed 15 classes so far.  TS was baptized last year and LC has been a faithful "parishioner" of our weekly gathering since 2008.

I plan to update the blog every couple of weeks. Thank you for your many prayers for these ladies as we begin again and may God bless you.

Easter freedom...

4/27/2011

Loaded down and carrying in the various items to the prison for the celebration, I could feel the anticipation building as I thought about the event today and I silently wondered about the outcome of MS’ clemency hearing. The Director of Catholic Detention Ministry and I cleared security and after a short wait, one of the guards escorted us to the visitation area rather than our normal classroom setting on the other side of the prison.

This area is nicer and resembles a park with large trees and covered picnic tables.  MS met us and quickly dismissed the fact that her clemency was denied. For her it was God’s will and she had already moved on. She told us that the ladies receiving their sacraments today were nervous and excited in anticipation of the celebration. She sounded thrilled too.

Soon, Fr. Ron, along with twenty-three women, arrived. They signed in and made their way into the area as Christian songs were played on the karaoke machine that we setup for amplifying the sound. Carefully laid out on one of the two tables were the “battery operated” Easter candle, two baptism candles (also b.o. – no fire allowed), an extra-large broad rimmed bowl of water, the Chrism oils and the red and white scarfs for the participants. Special chairs were setup for TS, DB and RS with chairs behind for their sponsors. We were surprised when the deputy-warden showed to watch part of the ceremony. Her presence intensified the already heightened awareness.  

The service began a little after 5 p.m. We started, as always “a cappella,” with an entrance song "Now We Remain." The sun was shining bright. The temperature was spring like – maybe even a little hot. The wind was blowing, swishing the tree gently and it provided a familiar reminder that the Holy Spirit can come like a strong wind on Pentecost.  We prayed that the power of the Spirit would be strong on this holy ground too and it surely was.

I know that many of you would've loved to watch their faces and see their eyes as they received the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The look expressed, as the water poured out, was excitement. Their faces happily reflected the laughter that spilled out of their mouths after the final anointing.

When the final song "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" was sung and the service concluded, it was evident that they did not want the day to end. We clustered together – not hugging – because it is not allowed, but wishing with all our might that we could express physically what was felt inside. Both the joy and elation were so strong that the corny phrase “leap for joy” came to mind and actually seemed appropriate. We could not keep still.

As they explored this experience with each other, RS noted that the holy oil gave off a perfumed scent. One of them asked Fr. Ron to tell them what the scent was. He said it was mainly balsam mixed into the oil and consecrated during Holy Week. Someone else commented that they hoped to remember that wonderful smell when they looked back on this day. 

Smiles were stretched from ear to ear on everyone’s faces.  The women kept trying to tell me what they felt and failed in words but expressed it very clearly in their eyes, faces and body language. We could tell that they were surrounded by the Holy Spirit and it was bursting out of them. It was an amazing transformation from the women they were 9 months ago. Today they stood tall. Today they looked happy. Today they were whole. It was a marvelous thing to see in this place surrounded by fences, barbed wire, guards and an atmosphere where the norm is pain, suffering, contempt,  and condemnation. But in spite of it all, God dwells in this place and on that day they found a different kind of freedom from within.   

As we left the prison and the automatic locking door closed, we heard them shout a final …. 

THANK YOU!
 

Death has no dominion

3/16/11

We began the session with reflection on the gospel.  Normally, we do this during the communion service along with the congregation, but today Fr. Ron celebrated Mass and gave a homily. When he is not here, the gospel is read twice, once as we stand, then after we are seated, I encourage the 12-18 women to close their eyes and listen a second time with their hearts. All are then given the opportunity to tell the rest of the group, what they think the scripture is saying to them today. One person starts and then after reflecting, invites another and then another until all have either contributed or passed.  No one is left out. I am always last. I answer questions and also clarify Catholic teachings since we have non Catholics in the group.

I am always surprised by how the Holy Spirit speaks so strongly in the hearts of all these women. But today it is just the six of us.  I see that they are growing strong in understanding of scripture. They are also becoming fearless in speaking out about what they interpret in the Sunday readings.  Last week, we listened as RS took all three readings and pondered what they meant. She reflected and linked the passages and interwoven themes back to all of us.  The topic was justification by faith and not works. At one point, frustrated because she felt that she wasn't saying it right, she stopped. Then, we all encouraged her to continue, because we did understand what she was saying, and it was very powerful. I was proud of her. It took great courage to do that.

After reflecting on the gospel this week, we took up the Chapter titled "Death Shall Have No Dominion." As part of their homework, they were given a medical explanation of crucifixion to contemplate.

DB spoke first. She relayed that this week has been filled with thoughts of death, even to the point of having nightmares. It is not a subject she wants to face. TS shared her thoughts on the handout. She was appalled by the horror of crucifixion. We see the crucifix and the tortured body of Jesus on the cross so often that we are made numb to the reality of the suffering Jesus endured before his death. RS points out that in spite of his pain, Jesus' last words from the cross are filled with forgiveness, compassion and prayer.

Next we talk about death and how hard it is to loose someone close. We all agree that none of us is ready to die. The mood becomes very gloomy. How can we not feel terribly down and sad about death? DB is the first to say that she is glad to know that her loved ones are with God.  All agree that it is something to be glad about that, and we know that heaven is a better place, but none of us is ready for that yet.

In trying to change the somber mood, I remind them that we should not focus solely on the death of Jesus. We must focus even more so on his glorious Resurrection.  We should remember that our God is an awesome and powerful God. We have seen His might in the Old Testament. In the miracle of the Resurrection, God shows us how very much He cares for us and that even death has no hold on those he chooses to be his own. We should delight in this promise.

Dear Prayer Pals, MS reminds me each week to tell you all that she prays for you Every Day and they all chime in that they are all praying for you too.  Thank You for your prayers.  - krr

A chance for a blessing

3/1
So it begins. This past Saturday and Sunday, I introduced the Prisoner Prayer Pal ministry to our congregation. As a result 67 people signed up to pray for DB, TS, RS and their sponsors - MS and AB. They will be supported in prayer as they finish their last two months of preparation before receiving their sacraments.

During the signups, one person told me that she had a prayer chain of over 500 people that would pray for them. Another told me that her faith sharing group would pray for them. The response was unbelievable. I hoped for 10 and God gave me so many more! How appropriate was Sunday's gospel -- God does indeed provide - "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." It was as if those words were spoken directly to me this weekend.

At the end of each Mass, I spoke about the process that these women will go through and how they need the support of our parish. I prepared small cards in advance to hand out to people who signed up. Printed on each was a silhouettes of one of the women and a little quote from each on why they are on this journey. Isn't it amazing how God works? In purchasing the paper for these cards, I found bright orange paper on sale. As it turned out the cards looked a lot like the special cards you find in a Monopoly game - you know the yellow and orange ones? These resembled Chance Cards. And so with that little bit of inspiration from the Holy Spirit, the presentation turned out to be a great success.

Each participant received at least one "Chance Card" and their prayers and support will mean so much to these women in getting their Chance to "Get out of Jail Free.” Of course this is a freedom of a different kind. It is a freedom that can only be found inside the heart and that only God can give them. It is a freedom that can change their lives forever and that may very well keep them from returning to prison.

They are not the only ones who have get a chance. We all have a chance to be blessed by God by saying yes whenever He presents an opportunity such as this.  He is calling us daily to accept such opportunities... We just have to say "Yes, Lord."

Thank you for saying yes to this one and I trust God will bless you. Please continue to pray for these women and their small community of believers.

All Prayer Pals will receive a copy of this blog via email or regular post. If you want to be added to the distribution please contact me.

Wishing God's choicest blessings for you. - krr

What are my gifts?

(2/9) We opened with a beautiful prayer to the Holy Spirit requesting that the Holy Spirit grant us the many gifts of the Spirit.  This week’s lesson is on the vocation of the laity. The mood of the group is downcast - everyone seems to be drained. This could be because they have been locked down all day during the packing up of 20+ prisoners, who are being transferred to Perryville.  

With F.A. gone our group has dwindled to three participants, two sponsors and me.  We have been temporarily moved to another classroom, our regular room is filled with the transferring inmates’ possessions. I thank God that we have a nice classroom though not as large. In the past year, the prison had difficulty finding a place for us and we had to use the “strip shack” for a couple of months. This “room” is used for searching the inmates as they return from their outside work details and dredges up unpleasant images for my girls.

   

We begin the lesson and during the chapter review, one of the women reveals that she did not read the chapter. This happens now and then. I am fine with it as long as they are honest with me, upfront. Then another says that she was unable to do the written homework. I recall from last year that the women in that group also had a hard time with this particular homework. The homework was to “Name the gifts God has given you and how God might be calling you to use these gifts in making the world a better place. If you don’t know what your gifts are - ask a friend.”

This homework is particularly challenging for these ladies because they find it extremely hard to name anything good about themselves. The whole concept of prison is to make you feel bad about what you did, unfortunately it goes overboard and makes you feel that everything about you is bad. They have been told for so long that they are bad that finding something in themselves that is good is almost impossible.

When asked why she didn’t find a friend to help her, T.S. said that she couldn’t find anyone to help her. D.B. also could not find someone to ask except for her cellmate who refused to help her because they don’t “share the same faith or beliefs.” D.B. was completely frustrated and did her homework on her own. R.S. asked her sponsor and came up with a long list of gifts. Before they shared what they had written, I asked one of the sponsors if she could give an example by listing her gifts.

M.S. has great self awareness and came up with a long list.  This helped break the ice and R.S. listed her gifts. D.B. read hers which was a short list but very insightful. We talked with T.S. who was sure that she did not have gifts. After awhile we found that she is very organized and taught herself how to take computers apart and put them back together again. We talked about how those gifts could be used to help others find Christ.

Sometimes one must take the time to look inward and list the many gifts that have been given to each one of us. If we don’t know our gifts, how can we use them.  God did not give us gifts to be used only for our own enjoyment or never using. We must use what he has given us, to promote the gospel and the message of Christ. Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them for His glory?

Please pray for these ladies and our prison community as they continue their walk with the Lord.  

Loving More

(2/2) I arrived and checked in with the guard on Wednesday. Passing through the metal detector, I forgot to remove my keys and had to go through it again. It was cold by Tucson standards - in the 40’s, the 30 mph wind blowing. I limp up to the guard station because of a recently sprained ankle. The security procedure of locking us into the classroom area means I take a seat near the guard station to wait until the ladies have been fed and released to that area rather than wait in the yard, and be cold.

I see M.S. as she heads toward the chow line, she sees me and sits down. She decides to skip the meal today. We chat about her family. We talk about the progress of the four ladies in the RCIA program. This is her second time as a sponsor and many of the ladies look up to her as a mother figure. As she talks I realize what a wonderful blessing she is to them. M.S. has been in prison for several years and she has a gift for stating it like it is. She gives objective advice on how to deal with life in prison and she is a good Catholic. Her advice includes help for them on understanding God and how he needs to be a part of their life right now.

During our talk, she tells me that one of our ladies, R.M, who was released last year - has returned to prison. R.M. was so determined to stay out of prison. Why did she fail? There are so many reasons that could cause that “why.” We wonder aloud whether she had the support she needed to succeed. These ladies need to have loving support as they transition back into the real world and they need to be anchored in their faith in God, who will be their strength when it gets tough. This is disheartening for the both of us.

The guard announces the service and another arrives to escort us to the classroom area. As we make our way slowly along, a few ladies from our little church group join us – more follow behind. They tell me that R.M. is back in prison. Their faces reveal their concern for her but I see something more – compassion and love. Putting themselves in the place of R.M. they can truly feel for her. They are connected to her and her attempt to start anew. We all say a silent prayer for her. I say a prayer for each of them.

After our Communion Service, we begin this week’s lesson on Social Justice. I have asked them to read the chapter and a handout on Love. D.B. tells me that she really liked the handout. The others chime in that they did too. They understand right away that Social Justice is about loving your neighbor. We talk about the different kinds of love. We discuss how love can go wrong when it becomes obsessive or selfish. As part of the lesson, they were asked to contemplate the question, “Have I loved enough?”

D.B. says this question really made her think. She has always felt that love is the greatest of the virtues. She quotes Corinthians “if I am without love, I am nothing.” Each of the ladies reflected that they love others. They even love those who are not the most lovable people. They also realize that they need to love more.

Don’t we all need to love more?

R.S. and T.S. both feel that in the past they did not love themselves enough. They understand how hard it is to love others if you cannot love yourself. F.A. says that that the more she learns about God’s love the more she feels the grace and love within and she intends to love more as a result. I add that by feeling the love of others we also learn how to love ourselves and others. Self love is not a selfish love, it is a love of the person God created. We are special, unique and cherished by God for who we are – not for what we do.

F.A. says that “He alone is teaching me Day by Day to Love.”

I pray that is true for all of us.

Please pray for our prison community as they continue their walk with the Lord.