Jail Ministry
In August of that year, the men a year ahead of me took their vows and we welcomed a new class of first-year novices. In the fall of the second year, a novice is given the opportunity to discern where he would like to go for his fall ministry. In contrast to the first year, the novices are asked to choose some group of people at the margins to minister to or alongside.
I began with the two areas of jail and homeless ministry, ultimately deciding on jail ministry. Unfortunately, there is a good deal of paperwork involved in beginning this sort of work, so I had to wait for it all to be processed before I could begin working as a chaplain in the Ramsey County Jail.
In simplest terms, my work there was primarily about going into the jail, checking to see who was on our list that wanted to see the chaplain, and going to see those men and women. I would meet one-on-one with inmates in a room just off of the cell pod and talk with them about whatever was on their mind.
As one can imagine, this is an emotionally draining sort of work. I still recall that on my first day I met a man who was in a terrible place emotionally and spiritually. He sat, head in hands, certain that God was punishing him.
I had no training in this sort of counseling and I could fix nothing that was going on in his life. However, I did have the opportunity to come before him as I was and offer him whatever advice I could. Ultimately, I left him with two pieces of advice. First, to look at Isaiah chapter 41, which talks about how God has called each of us by name and that we are loved. The other is to remember that Jesus himself was in the same shoes as him, in jail for something he didn’t really do. While this man was headed to Calvary, I reminded him that every time we go there, a Resurrection awaits us.
As the months went on, I became more comfortable with the inmates and even developed a relationship with a number of them. I remember one in particular touching my heart. This one man, when I first met him, was convinced that if he continued to send word to his girlfriend he would eventually hear back from her and would find reconciliation. By the time of our last meeting in December, he had moved past her and let her go, realizing that the relationship itself was no longer healthy.
What touched me the most about my relationship with him was that he would pray for me at the end of our sessions. Normally, the inmates requested me to pray with them and for them at the end of our time together, whether it had been 5 minutes or 45 minutes. I extended my hands and, if the inmate desired, we would join hands and pray together, thanking God for the grace of the meeting.
Through my many interactions with the people of the Ramsey County Jail, I learned that the people on the other side of the bars are often good-hearted people who wound up making one bad decision. They are just as human as I am, and I slowly began to see them with God’s eyes, as wonderful and beloved children who simply needed a little help in recognizing that they are loved, even if only by God.
Cover Image Jailed by Flickr User Daniele Nicolucci, via Flickr Creative Commons, available here.
