Natalia Dedinsky
At their last plenary assembly, the USCCB called for more priests and volunteers to serve in prison ministry. There is an estimated 500,000 incarcerated Catholics in the United States.
The government of each state provides chaplains from various religions to work in penitentiaries and mental institutions, in accordance with the First Amendment.
Fr. John Farao, OFM CONV, explained that much of a prison chaplain's ministry involves working with inmates in small groups or one-on-one. He spent more than 20 years working in the prison system, where he encountered men who had committed gruesome crimes.
Fr. John Farao, OFM CONV
Prison Chaplain
I felt for the victims of all this. And finally, you know... God's kindness just reminded me: they're somebody's little boy.
When I would really get to know them and they would drop their defenses, there was usually very deep scars of childhood and trauma.
Inmates were free to choose whether to attend the chapel. As a result, many non-Catholics also turned to the priest for advice, which focused mostly on forgiveness.
Fr. Farao said that many of those he served struggled with such intense self-hatred that they could no longer bear to look at themselves in the mirror.
Fr. John Farao, OFM CONV
Prison Chaplain
And I'd say, 'now look in the mirror,' because most of them didn't have a mirror in their cell. And as you're standing there now, tell me, how do you feel about him? They'd get real quiet. I'll never forget one guy said, you know, I quit looking in the mirror over two years ago.
According to psychologists, most incarcerated men suffered sexual abuse in their childhood. Prison programs are improving, yet they are not properly equipped for rehabilitation and addressing trauma.
Fr. Farao's work in the prison system eventually led to the creation of a support group for inmates who had been sexually abused as children. The last session of the group, Fr. Farao invited the warden to sit in.
Fr. John Farao, OFM CONV
Prison Chaplain
The warden told us that he'd been working in the prison system for over 30 years, and he had never heard of a group like this, nor had he ever envisioned that inmates would come together and trust one another enough with their deep hurt and pain, and that he was kind of amazed that we were able to do that.
Prison psychologists later told Fr. Farao that they had noticed a difference in the inmates they treated.
After more than two decades of prison ministry, Fr. John Farao knows firsthand the challenges of ministering to those behind bars. He also knows the power of God's love and just how far His forgiveness can reach.
