LRSS in Prison Ministry
 Over the years the Little Rock Scripture Study office has been contacted regularly by those seeking to use our materials with men and women in prison. This issue of our newsletter shares the stories of three such chaplains.
Bringing God’s Word to Prisoners In Arkansas
Denny Reynaud
Conway, Arkansas
(as told to Susan McCarthy, RDC)
Challenged by his own reading of the Scripture, Denny Reynaud of Conway, Arkansas, experienced his own conversion. He went from being a federal agent responsible for putting people in jail to a Catholic chaplain wanting to help those in prison to improve and better their own lives.
Denny’s own change began with his work as a facilitator of small groups in Renew. After that he became involved in Little Rock Scripture study groups in his parish and then made a Cursillo. It was a fellow Cursillista who suggested that Denny would be a wonderful prison minister.
 Denny did everything he could to get out of this ministry but he soon found himself well-received and listened to by the young men he met on his Saturday morning visits.
One young man, probably verbalizing the unspoken thoughts of the group told him outright, “Mr. Denny, I don’t want to become a Catholic.” To which Denny quickly and easily responded, “Don’t worry son. That’s not why I’m here. What I want to do is help you to develop a relationship with God.”
It was in the Wrightsville Prison that Denny was able to introduce the Scripture study he had learned in his home parish in Conway. Though the population of the prison often changed he was able to guide one group of seven or eight men in the Little Rock Scripture Study of the Passion and Resurrection Narratives and later in the study of Exodus.
Each week the men gathered for some brief spontaneous prayer. Then Denny, serving as the facilitator, guided them though the discussion of the nine questions (half of a typical lesson) they had prepared that week. The men brought their own educational experience to their reading and preparation. Charlie, a graduate school teacher, was able to make the connections between the present study and other Old and New Testament passages he was familiar with. Another older man, unable to do much of the reading and writing, relied more on his personal faith and listening to what was shared in the group.
As a result of these studies one inmate asked to be baptized. Another, after release from prison, became part of an RCIA group in his parish, and went on to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Little Rock Scripture Study at Lebanon Correctional Institution
Christine Shimrock
Mason, Ohio
One glance at the tapestry of tattoos and the words that accompany its owner suddenly seems incongruent.
“When I read this question I was thinking about my childhood and how the smell of the incense from the altar would drift back to my pew and make me feel safe, like I was home.”
Nods from the group. A few feet shuffle. Someone clears his throat.
“I mean, I know it’s not exactly what Paul was gettin’ at when he said that to those people,” he continues, “but that’s what I get from it.”
More nods. The group reflects, comfortable in its silence.
It’s a typical Wednesday night at Lebanon Correctional Institution (LeCI), a close-security men’s prison north of Cincinnati. Inside the prison chapel, nearly 30 men have gathered for Catholic instruction and fellowship. More than half have chosen to participate in the Little Rock Scripture Study, Letters from Prison. Inside the margins of their study guides are copious notes and Scripture written out as reference. Inside the study circle are men young and old, representatives from each space on the crime continuum. They balance their Bibles and commentaries on their knees while they hold their study guides up in front of them. Some are eager to share their week’s handiwork; others, equally eager to glean from the group. Cradle Catholics relate the lesson to what they recall from their days as altar boys and parochial school students; new believers relate the lesson to their new lives in Christ. All participants know that Christ meets us exactly where we are in our faith journey and each strives to offer the same courtesy to the others in the group.
“When I read it, I thought he was talking to the guards,” says another group member. “It made me think about all the times people tried to tell me the right way to go, but I didn’t want to hear any of that.”
A fury of nods.
“You’re still not trying to hear that,” says another. “I see how you act back in the block.”
The group erupts in laughter.
The Catholic men at LeCI have completed four Little Rock studies since 2006. Each time a new study is offered, each man has the option to join in. The conditions are small in number, but big in meaning: if you start the study, you finish it. And, if you show up without your lesson done, you may not pipe in that week. No “winging” it.
“Paul knows what it's like to be in here,” one of the members says, sweeping his free hand in front of him. “If he still wants to talk about Jesus after all he went through, I know I can do it while I’m down too.”
The group is silent. Then, nods all around.
Scripture Study with Inmates On Death Row
Deacon Ed Sheffer
Tucson, Arizona
One of the ministries in which I serve as a deacon is with men on death row. In this detention ministry I have learned it is almost impossible to provide opportunity for transformation without access to God’s presence and God’s love. To more fully change one's life each person needs the chance to understand the gospel message of Jesus – to understand “God’s Word.” Human existence, even existence behind a maximum security cell, improves when it is exposed to sound Scripture study. Scripture tells us: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves their neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8). And, if one can love enough to want to get out of the way and let Scripture speak, God is revealed. God is what fulfills a person – the need for God’s love is our essence miracles happen when God’s love is better understood and embraced!
 Little Rock Scripture Study has made it possible for six death row inmates to begin to journey closer to God’s love. These men have begun exploring the Bible in ways not possible before. In a recent meeting with an inmate we reviewed the LRSS commentary and study guide to Introduction to the Bible. As a result of our study the inmate felt that he had been inspired to look at Scripture in ways he had never done before.
It is the person who can acknowledge limitations and can cry over his sin who becomes a true disciple – one who understands and accepts that he is dependent on God. A person who can never face that he is being called to be in relationship with God remains unable to find his way. As a result of their own efforts there are six men now seeking a true and deeper relationship with God and finding a way out of darkness.
When the gospel is proclaimed at liturgy I bow to God’s Word – in reverence and wonder. I cross myself on forehead, mouth and heart – putting on Christ. I kiss the Scripture passage just read – revealing my deep desire to love and serve God, and, silently on behalf of the universal Church I fulfill my obligation to pray for our salvation: “May the words of the gospel wipe away our sins.” I continue to be in awe of the transforming effect of God’s Word. And, I am grateful to my friends at Little Rock Scripture Study for making the experience of God’s Word more meaningful to all of us seeking relationship with God – for this I am joy filled!
If you are involved in prison ministry and would like information about using our materials with those in prison, or would like to donate funds to assist in this ministry, please contact our office: 501-664-6102 or lrss@dolr.org.
Top of Page
|
