Prison Letters

Friends

Friendship to us is very important, especially since we are locked up in prison. There is no doubt that we deserve to be here, but being locked up does not mean that our lives are over. My friend and I have been attending the Catholic classes that are offered here, and we get a lot out of it. The Catholic volunteers that come here are real good with us. Its like, you know, they don't have to be here. They could be home with their families. The truth is we appreciate them for what they do for us. One of us will make first communion this year, and that is a great feeling to belong to this family. We never had a family ...
 

Cardinal Visits Us

Our Catholic group meets every week for Mass or Communion Service. One day guess who shows up. The Archbishop! Man we were really surprised. He must be the busiest guy in the world, but he came to see us and pray with us. He even heard the confession of each one of us. There must have been 20 or so in the room that we call the chapel. The volunteer who visits us every week took the Archbishop into a small, narrow storage room that was filled with folding chairs, old band equipment, and general junk. Well, he set up two of the dirty, old folding chairs and the Archbishop began hearing confessions. This man did not complain at all. He just listened to each one of us for over an hour. Then he celebrated Mass and preached God's word. I have been Catholic all my life, but I have never met an Archbishop. This day was very special and I will never forget the Catholic volunteers who made it possible, nor will I forget the Archbishop for taking the time to visit us in prison. I look forward to the day when I will see him in the free world. 
 

A Woman in the Harris County Jail

Dear correctional ministries. I am from a small, middle Eastern country and for most of my life I never believed in Jesus. I have been locked up for two years for a crime that I did not commit. Sure, you think everyone says that, but this time it's true. What is more important though is the fact that during this time I have learned about Jesus and have begged Him to be my Lord and Savior. I met several volunteers, two of them told me they are Catholic. I think being Catholic is too difficult for me right now, but she has shown me a lot about myself. Who knows, maybe someday I will learn more about Catholics. Right now, I spend a lot of time reading about Jesus. He will show me the way. Sometimes I wonder what will happen when I go home as a Christian. My family follows the Koran, so they probably will never understand me. Thank you for visiting with me. Pray for me, as I pray for you.