Dear Saint Joseph’s,

 

The Jail ministry is not for the faint hearted!  Many men and women in jail have been brutalized throughout their lives or have themselves committed brutal acts; they can be angry, suspicious, and aloof.  They can also be remorseful, reflective, and receptive to grace. Many people enlist to visit inmates, but many drop out quickly as this is hard work and not always rewarding.  There are also many who volunteer and hang in there—like Peggy Karleen, Jeanne Iverson, Lois Lawson, Bruce Dunn and Denis Delaney who visit the Main Jail or Blaine St. or Juvenile Hall, and Reg and Marie Howard and their team of Delores Pluim, Willard Keeler and John Benich who minister at Round Tree.  These volunteers have infinite patience, openness, and a large infusion of the Holy Spirit. Father John Warburton willingly spends as long as it takes once a month hearing confessions.

 

As for me, I have been doing this ministry for approximately ten years—first as a volunteer and now as a part time Chaplain.  There have been some serious challenges like having to tell an inmate that a dear one has died—sometimes tragically.  But now and then you get a shot in the arm, and you realize that it is important to keep going.  Following are three “shots-in-the arm” that I have received in the past year.

 

A former gang member has continued to correspond with me after being sentenced to nine years in prison for his involvement in a bank robbery.  After serving four years, he is now graduating from high school and will have a regular graduation ceremony including the indispensable cap and gown.  He is a member of the prison’s Men’s Advisory Council which is composed of inmates of different races who meet with the prison staff to find ways of improving conditions.  He also has a job and counsels young men to stay away from trouble. He has earned the privilege of being transferred to a less secure facility.

 

Two months ago the Lieutenant in charge of the jail asked if I would begin a program for gang members in one of the units.  I went for my first visit in July.  Now I am preparing a young man for his first Reconciliation and Eucharist.  I gave him his first Bible and he not only does his homework, but he also tells me there are three other guys wanting to study with me. I could use the help of a male volunteer with this Unit K ministry.

 

A young and intelligent woman has been in jail and prison for four years; during that time she gained the respect of her fellow inmates and officers.  When she was moved to a Camp prison, she went through rigorous training to become a fire fighter.  She writes that when she went through the last phase of training, some of her toenails were torn off and she had big blisters all over her feet.  She fought hard and long in those big fires in Southern California last year.  Upon release on August 21^st she has come back to Santa Cruz.  I promised her that I would find her a place to stay for two or three months until she can get settled in a job and be able to bring her little girl to live with her.  She can afford to pay five or six hundred dollars, so if anyone knows of a place where she can live, please let me know.  The last resort is to have her stay with me although it would mean sleeping on a mat on the floor, as I don’t have an extra bedroom. Please help if you can.

 

These are some of the stories that make this ministry so worthwhile!

 

Mary Helen Tafoya, Chaplain