“I was in prison and you came to me” (Matt. 25:36).
Responding to the Gospel and leading by example, Bishop Timothy Senior visited and celebrated Mass with men incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill on Saturday, March 21. In his homily, Bishop Senior told the men, “It is a grace to be with you today; I want you to know that I and the diocese are in solidarity with you.”
Volunteers from parishes around the diocese make up the Prison Christian Growth Group (PCGG), showing active, unified support for men and women in prison — and living out Bishop Senior’s Lenten call to “embody mercy in a tangible way.” Even though the current volunteers are able to minister to the inmates at SCI, Camp Hill, the PCGG needs more parishioners to respond to the call to actively demonstrate compassion and forgiveness.
Mission
Members of the PCGG gathered to discuss the current state of the organization and to encourage people to join the ministry.
“If you really want to get involved, you want to do things in Matthew 25, this [Prison Christian Growth Group] is where it’s at,” says Lee Harrington, a PCGG volunteer. “You can do things on the periphery, and that is okay, but if you have it in your heart that you really want to do something more, this is the ministry.”
Robert (Bob) Ribic, who coordinates volunteer scheduling, assures anyone who is thinking of joining the ministry, “you get more out of this than you put into it. It gives you more grace.”
Currently, volunteers visit the prison on Friday mornings and evenings. Ribic explains, “We ask for at least one visit a month; that’s it. Can you do one visit a month?”
Harrington adds, “We are a tight group. We are always looking out for each other to make sure the mission gets accomplished.” So, if scheduling conflicts arise, the members of the PCGG cover for one another.
Faith Sharing
On Friday mornings, an average of 25 to 30 inmates voluntarily gather in the prison’s chapel. Four volunteers facilitate the opening prayer, scripture readings, faith sharing, announcements, and a closing prayer that takes up the allotted one-and-a-half-hour session.
Ribic explains to the inmates, “We are going to pray today, but we are not a prayer group; we are going to read scripture today, but this is not a Bible study; we are a faith sharing group; we are going to share our faith.”
Friday evenings, 12 to 15 men gather, and Steve Hubler, a Friday evening volunteer, wants readers to know, “These guys are hungry for the faith, and they are hungry for learning from each other as well as from us.” Hubler points out, “Some [men] come super-well prepared, and they can quote chapter and verse. Others come, and they are just starting their journey in Christianity.”
The inmates appreciate how the Catholic volunteers meet each man where he is in his faith. After the opening prayer, inmates volunteer to read the three readings from the approaching Sunday’s Mass. That preparation laid the groundwork for Bishop Senior’s visit: the day before, the men had read and reflected on the Sunday Gospel — the raising of Lazarus from the dead. That shared preparation made Bishop Senior’s homily land with particular force.
While visiting, Bishop Senior said in his homily, “Jesus is always dealing with the consequences of our decisions… Jesus says to untie and unbind Lazarus and let him go. He does not hold us bound and tied either. Do you believe this?”
The inmates who attended the faith sharing on Friday before the bishop’s visit would have had the chance to discuss how the Gospel related to them personally. The inmates had time to pray and think about the Gospel, and Bishop Senior delivered his message to hearts already yearning for the love with which it was expressed. Without the organized PCGG program and its resolute volunteers, this scenario would not have been possible.
Allaying Safety Concerns
Potential volunteers may have concerns about their safety when considering prison ministry. When asked if they are concerned for their physical well-being, the answer from each PCGG volunteer present was a resounding, “No.”
Sue Anstead always tells people, “You are safer there [the prison chapel] than you are at a mall or a stadium.” Anstead says she “feels absolutely, completely comfortable” while ministering to the inmates. “We are so well taken care of; even in my walk from the car to the door, there are two or three security trucks driving around. It is about as safe as you can possibly be.”
Tom Langan, the senior volunteer of the group, recalled, “Kathy, one of our group, is going in for surgery, and about a half a dozen prisoners gathered around her and prayed over her.”
Ribic says, “I don’t worry about safety…the guards are very good and the chaplain is good…the volunteer inmates working at the prison are excellent; they are looking out for us.”
The Need is Real
The PCGG members are candid about the need for people to join their volunteer ranks. Anstead hears the inmates say, “We are so glad you are here,” and, for the moment, the few volunteers that are ministering at SCI Camp Hill are making the schedule work so that they can continue to be there for the men. But there are more prisons to visit, and the Corporal Work of Mercy of visiting the prisoner must be extended to others in need.
As Ribic and the volunteers will tell you, the rewards – spiritual, relational, and deeply personal – flow in both directions. If the Holy Spirit has been stirring something in you, now is the time to act. The men at SCI Camp Hill are waiting, and so is a community of faith ready to welcome you.
If the Holy Spirit is calling you to prison ministry, please contact Bob Ribic at bobribic2@yahoo.com or call 717-571-4217.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Laura Loose, The Catholic Witness
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