Priest gives comfort to the imprisoned |
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Written by JIM METCALFE, Special to the Chronicle
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Friday, 06 February 2009 01:00 |
LIMA—In the footsteps of Jesus Christ, Redemptorist Father James McDonald, pastor of Lima St. Gerard, brings comfort to the imprisoned, a tradition at the parish since 1974.
"The Redemptorists came to Lima in 1917 and founded the parish and the school," says Fr. McDonald. "Around 1974 or ’75, they began to minister to local prisoners," he explains. "There had always been local ministries but this opportunity came open and the leaders of my congregation filled it. ... Local priests had done it before then but many retired or moved on, so the priests here at the time saw the need and stepped in."
Fr. McDonald has been involved with prison ministry since arriving from St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, Md., in 2005. The acceptance of this ministry at the Allen Correctional Institute (ACI) in Lima has been amazing, in his words.
"It is rare to have the kind of openness we have here in Lima. In some places in Ohio, a deacon comes to distribute the Eucharist every six weeks or a Mass is celebrated once a month," he explains. "At ACI, we celebrate Mass every Thursday and Saturday. We have catechetical classes every Thursday, such as baptismal preparation. I and Father Joy Poonoly also go to Oakwood Correctional Institute on a monthly basis."
Fr. McDonald relates that much of what is seen on TV about prisoners and faith is not necessarily true.
"You often see on TV that a prisoner realizes his or her mistake and ‘comes to Jesus.’ That might be true sometimes but many prisoners I deal with were already active Catholics when they committed their crime," he says.
"The Catholic community in ACI is very strong and they have a continuity of faith here. They have their own small ‘church’ and many are registered at St. Gerard’s. In fact, many tithe regularly."
These include those convicted of murder, rape, sex offenses and other violent crimes.
"Our ministry is open to Catholics and non-Catholics. We have made it a policy not to ask these men and women why they are there," he continues. "We can easily find out and sometimes, they tell us like a confession. We try to assure them that their past is between them and God; we’re about forgiveness and healing and the future. We’re all about second chances.
"That keeps the lines of communication open. They have come to trust us. Many of these men and women cannot forgive themselves. We spread a letter around — getting it in the right hands — telling the prisoners that we are not here to judge but to help heal. The participation from them has grown quite a bit because of that."
That is part of the low-key and non-judgmental nature of the ministry, according to Fr. McDonald, a priest since 1990.
"This ministry has had great support from our parishioners. We have a lay retreat team — made up of parishioners in all four Lima parishes — that comes in [to the prisons] four to five times a year. There is a music ministry.
"My philosophy is this: there but for the grace of God go I. To me, the biggest difference between those ‘on the outside’ and those behind bars is they got caught. I’m not saying all those outside are criminals, but circumstances can cause people to do things they normally wouldn’t think of doing."
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 March 2009 15:15 |
