“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., recalled these verses when he addressed those who had gathered in the Chancery on Sept. 29 for the Jail and Prison Ministry Enrichment Day.

“It’s the Lord we look for, it’s the Lord we see, it’s the Lord we serve and the Lord who looks back at us and smiles,” the bishop said as he welcomed the volunteers, chaplains and prison officials who gathered from the four counties in the diocese. 

“I am humbled and grateful.  You have my love and affection and gratitude for all that you do.  And you have my support,” he vowed. 

Fellow Vincentian Father Martin “Marty” McGeough is the coordinator of the Jail and Prison Ministry which, according to the ministry’s webpage, is “a reflection of the Church’s social justice teaching, particularly as it applies to the criminal justice system.” 

Father McGeough, who was appointed coordinator of this ministry within the Department of Pastoral Care in February, also welcomed those in attendance and conferred that he wanted “to provide an opportunity for those who join in this ministry to gather together, to meet one another, to share stories from our ministries and to learn from one another.”

The day of faith sharing and networking would prove to be beneficial to those who visit the imprisoned in the 11 facilities throughout the diocese.

 “It’s a tough job,” said Father McGeough,  speaking of the volunteers from around the diocese who spread the love of God in correctional institutions, including the FCI (Federal Correctional Institution) in Fort Dix, as well as the state facilities: The Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility, Bordentown; the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, Yardville; the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Wrightstown; CRAF-Central Reception and Assignment Facility and Jones Farm, Trenton, and the N.J. State Prison in Trenton.

Each county in the diocese also has its own correctional centers as well as a women’s annex located in Pemberton.  The Ann Klein Mental Forensic Hospital in West Trenton is also included in the outreach of prison ministry.

“There is someone doing prison ministry every day in our diocese,” Father McGeough acknowledged. 

While those involved in prison ministry are looking to bring Christ to the men and women that they serve, many have found it often turns out to be the “other way around” in terms of receiving the hidden graces and blessings involved with prison ministry. 

“I cannot tell you the joy this has brought to my life,” Suzanne Shea, parishioner at St. Mary, Colts Neck, who has ministered to the women in solitary confinement at Trenton State Prison, shared with those in attendance. “There are no words to describe the feelings.”

Ray Benedict from Epiphany Parish, Brick has volunteered in the Trenton State Prison for the last 20 years.

“We are trained to go in to listen and love,” he shared of his experiences with the inmates.

Those who volunteer in the prisons provide Scripture study with the inmates, hold prayer and communion services, lead retreats and make themselves present to those who may simply need someone to listen to them.

The prison ministry has faced challenges when entering some of the correctional institutions as they attempt to minister to the incarcerated.

Jeff Keller, director of Reentry at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, offered some advice to those who are looking to volunteer and gain entry into the various jails in the diocese.

“Fort Dix is the largest prison in America with 4,700 inmates,” he stated.

“Almost 25 percent of the population are registered Catholic inmates.  And there are a team of nine deacons coming in,” he explained. “You need to partner with the administrators, people like myself, people in the county. Learn the processes that we have to go through.  Security is paramount.”

Linda Rogers, director of Program Services at Mercer County Corrections Center, concurred.

“It is a process,” she admitted, echoing Keller’s words and encouraging those who visit to be patient with those in the administrative offices within the prison system.

“The inmates enjoy you coming in,” she volunteered. “They treasure each and every one of you. In their lifetime they may not have had someone to talk to them, to come to them, or to give them something.  You do inspire them.”

As coordinator of the Prison Ministry, Father McGeough is hoping to encourage more people to participate in this invaluable ministry in the diocese by visiting the parishes and discussing the need to share our faith with those in the prison system.   This was an idea that was welcomed by both current volunteers and prison administrator, said Rogers.

“There are a lot of lost souls in there,” she disclosed. “When you visit, for many of the inmates, it may be the first time they hear the Gospels.”