Mercy at infamous Angola Prison: How Catholics walk with families of incarcerated
Many Catholics were taught about the seven “corporal works of mercy,” one of which is to “visit the imprisoned.” But how many of us have actually followed through on that one? What about the family members of the incarcerated?
How is mercy offered to them as well?
The Office for Black Catholic Ministries in the Diocese of Lafayette has worked beautifully with loved ones of the incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly referred to as “Angola Prison.”
With support from Catholic Extension Society, church leaders rent a 55-person passenger bus to bring parents, siblings, and children to visit their loved ones at Angola twice a year. Those who take the bus lack their own transportation necessary to make the two-hour-plus drive.
Angola prison was the setting of the 1995 Oscar-winning film “Dead Man Walking.” The film is based on the story of Sister Helen Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph who became a spiritual advisor to a man on death row. She has gone on to become a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
Several years ago we spoke to Sister Helen about this powerful ministry. Watch the video below to hear from her and learn more about our support of the trips to Angola.
The families’ pain
To those who would ask why the Church extends help to the families of these “criminals,” Stephanie Bernard, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries, does not waver in her response.
“We stand in solidarity with the families that support their loved ones,” said Bernard, who has been with the diocese for 42 years.
“The fact that we’re able to provide transportation to our brothers and sisters is how we live out the Gospel message of what Jesus calls us to do to love one another,” she continued. “We walk with you, no matter what your plight.”
She realizes that family members of the incarcerated are many times collateral victims who experience social stigma, emotional pain, spiritual defeat and economic strain for years. They too are in need of mercy.
It’s hard to imagine a more tragic plight than that of Linda Cormier, 69, who has been riding the church-sponsored bus for 10 years.
Her brother, Julius, spent 42 years at Angola, going to prison when he was 18 years old. As if this wasn’t hard enough, several years later, her youngest brother, a pillar in the community, was murdered.
But Cormier has come to discover that once mercy is unleashed, it spreads. She recalled, while still in the courthouse after the trial, comforting the father of the man who murdered her youngest brother.
“I started walking towards him and he just cried. I’d never seen a grown man cry,” said Cormier. “I said my little brother wouldn’t want you to feel the way that you do. And I don’t want you to feel the way that you are. So come here and give me a hug.”
She continued,
Mercy is like a domino effect. You have time to think about it and experience all the death around you. Now you have to think whatever little time on this earth I have left, what do I want to do with it?”
Cormier concluded, “And then at the same time you can let somebody else know that this is not the end of the world, that there’s a purpose. You just have to find that purpose.”
The bus is a blessing
Prior to the bus becoming available through the Catholic Church, Cormier hadn’t been able to visit her own brother in prison for 10 years. The separation was a punishment for her as well.
“Are you kidding? It’s a blessing!” Cormier said of the diocese’s Angola visits. “You’re helping people who need it that don’t know how they would get it for this otherwise.”
Easton Sam shares a similar sentiment. His son has been at Angola for 17 years, entering at age 21.
Sam and his family are grateful for the support. More than anything, Sam is grateful for the moment he saw his son for the first time in 10 years, a moment made possible by the church bus trips to Angola.
“The first time I saw him, he hugged me so tight and his mom so tight. I couldn’t let go,” Sam remembered.
Aside from the bus rides to Angola, Sam’s grandchildren receive presents at Christmas through a related Diocese of Lafayette program that provides holiday gifts to children whose parents are incarcerated.
In the Diocese of Lafayette, mercy truly is a domino effect, as countless people over the years have heard about and joined the bus trips to Angola by word of mouth.
In very dark and difficult circumstances, just one act of mercy, one act of kindness can help reshape, rehabilitate and restore people’s lives.
Several years ago we spoke to Sister Helen about this powerful ministry. Watch the video below to hear from her and learn more about our support of the trips to Angola. Watch the video below.
Catholic Extension Society works in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities. Please support our mission.
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