I am asked this a lot and, like any other ministry, if you have the demeanor for it, it is a phenomenal ministry. I remember the first time I went to jail, about twelve years ago. I was nervous, and completely out of my element because I’d never been in the jail before and although I’ve seen jails on television and in movies, it’s just not the same as the real thing. The deacon, the priest and I walked into the common room of the cell block and began setting up for mass. The priest with us that day was a retired priest named Father Joe who was preparing to celebrate Mass in the cell that day. Father Joe was wearing his alb (pronounced “all-buh” – a white robe worn by the priest during Mass) so you could not see his Roman collar. Soon, the prisoners began filing in one by one. The deacon and I shook each man’s hand and greeted them as they entered. I especially recall one inmate. He was dressed in… Read More »Tell Me About Prison Ministry
Ministry
The Boy in the Blanket God’s Love Found Its Way Into My BrokennessBY: LESLIE KOWALSKI You wouldn’t call my childhood the happiest one a person could have. Growing up in a tiny, run-down house as the tenth of twelve children—with parents who struggled with mental health issues—I certainly learned about the fear of God. But I didn’t know how much God loved me. We were very poor, and we rarely had enough food. My father would sometimes shoot squirrels from out of the bathroom window so that we could eat, and other days we would crawl through grocery store dumpsters looking for food. We didn’t have any blankets, so in the winter we put our legs through the sleeves of moth-eaten coats. It was a hard life, but things began to change when, at twelve years old, I started babysitting for my oldest sister. She and her husband were Catholic, and I would attend Mass with the family. I could feel the presence of God in that church. My faith kept growing through marriage, the… Read More »The Boy In The Blanket