It had been a long time since Corey was a free man. He had spent the last seven years of his life inside a federal prison. After he was released, he still didn’t feel free. Outside prison, he needed guidance, support, and love. That’s when he found Church of the Holy Family in Virginia Beach.
For a decade, the Prison and Reentry Ministry at Holy Family has been working with both incarcerated and “returning citizens” who are no longer behind bars. Earlier this spring, the diocesan Office of Social Ministries held a two-day summit at Holy Family, aimed at educating people about prison ministry and hoping to inspire others to participate.
“Open the Door to Mercy” shared the challenges of the prison system, advocated for those inside prison and out, and provided outreach. The summit, held April 4-5, also featured several speakers, including former prisoners, as well as breakout sessions.
Those in the ministry bring the Eucharist, Bibles, and a listening ear to those in prison. Volunteers also write letters to dozens of inmates across the state.
Once the inmates have served their time, the work of the ministry continues. They donate personal hygiene products, clothes and shoes. Volunteers provide bus passes and rides to job interviews, probation meetings, social services appointments, and the grocery store. They also help returning citizens by paying for rent at a transitional home, providing job training, and helping to find and fund a bike or car.
“Our overarching goal is to support successful reentry, reduce recidivism rates, and cultivate a more just and compassionate society for individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration,” said Brian Alexander, social justice and outreach coordinator at Holy Family.
The ministry also connects people with services related to mental health, substance abuse, and physical disabilities. Members build lasting relationships with returning citizens, often starting when the person is still in prison.
“Once, I signed a letter, ‘Peace be with you,’” said Lynn Kline, chair of Holy Family’s Prison and Reentry Ministry. “The person wrote me back a two-page letter telling me know how much that simple phrase meant to him. He had been feeling anything but peaceful at the time, and that one familiar phrase reminded him that he could turn to God for comfort and help.”
“So many feel forgotten and unworthy, and they are amazed that someone who doesn’t even know them is willing to extend love and kindness,” she added.
They ‘saw me as a person’
Though Corey did not connect with the prison ministry until after he was released, the help he has received since has been invaluable.
“I found Lynn and her cohorts to be the first group that saw me as a person who had been incarcerated, rather than defining me by the incarceration,” said Corey.
He said the isolation and loneliness he experienced in prison made everything “saturated with the feeling of despair” and that every day was “a mind-numbingly exhausting battle to maintain your humanity in an inherently – and in my opinion, intentionally – inhumane environment.”
He still carries the weight of his time in prison with him, but it feels lighter now that others are helping him lift it. Corey is a handyman who is working to establish his own business. Ministry members have offered him sound employment and financial advice. They have also hired him for jobs and referred him to others.
“This group is important because I know firsthand that they have helped me,” he said. “They have been consistently kind, caring, and welcoming. The last being something that anyone that has been incarcerated will tell you is of paramount importance. … It is refreshing to be reminded that people are kind just because it is the right thing to do.”
Restoring hope and life
Dale Brumfield, who has written several books on the history and evolution of prison systems, was the summit’s keynote speaker. He was the former director of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty before the death penalty was abolished in Virginia in 2021. He travels throughout the country conducting seminars and advocating for criminal justice reform.
Bill Twine, executive director of Onesimus Ministries, also spoke. In 1984, he established a Christian-based transitional home in Chesapeake for newly released returning citizens. The goal is to help former prisoners successfully reenter society while also helping them grow in their faith. There are now additional homes in Virginia Beach and Norfolk to serve more people.
The director of the diocesan Office of Social Ministries, Tina Wandersee, participated in one of the summit’s breakout sessions about restorative justice, which focuses on rehabilitation, reconciliation, and healing for all parties involved.
“A prison cell will not restore. The people coming into the prison from the outside are the ones who open wide the door of mercy for those held captive, to allow them to be fully restored to the right relationship with God, self, and others,” said Wandersee.
“This is prison ministry, entering into the suffering of another to restore right-relationship, seek healing, promote accountability and enable transformation,” she added.
Wandersee talked about the first time she visited a prison. Whatever preconceived notions she had were shattered after that first meeting with women who she said could have been her daughters.
“As I spent time listening to each of them speak from a depth of spirituality I had not anticipated, it became clear to me that a poor decision had been made, this led to an injustice and crime being committed, and I wondered if a prison cell offered everything that was needed to restore what had been damaged,” she said. “This question, and that setting, has stayed with me.”
There are more than 23,000 people living in Virginia prisons, and prison ministries across the diocese are serving them.
“We feel this program reflects the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly the first principle, which is, ‘Life and Dignity of the Human Person,’” Wandersee said. “The Church teaches that every person’s life is sacred and deserving of respect and protection.”
To learn more about the Prison Ministry, email the Office of Social Ministries at [email protected].