I am a Certified Voluntary Chaplain in the Texas Prison System since
1994. My ministry started at the Central Unit, Sugar Land, with one on
one mentoring, then moved to a mandatory course on self image
improvement, a Rosary ministry, a voluntary RCIA program and, finally a
voluntary "Christian Meditation Program" which started five years ago.
I am ministering to a prison of about 1,000 inmates with sentences
ranging from 5 to 40 years. We have a Chapel and all voluntary programs
attract about 70 to 100 inmates. The Christian meditation program
attracts 12 to 20 inmates on a weekly basis. Most of the inmates in the
program have passed from the anger to the acceptance stage in their
spiritual journey. They are more sensitive to the silence than the free
world meditators because it is very hard for them to find any silence in
their dormitories or at work.
Many start meditation encouraged by the core members and some get
hooked and adopt the discipline of daily practice and weekly meetings.
Having suffered so much the inmates find that meditation helps them
unload their unconscious and some of them share their experiences, most
of the time privately with me. One literally sees the Holy Spirit at
work.
We meet every Monday from 7 to 9 PM, the two hour time slot being
dictated by the recount cycle. Each meeting starts with the distribution
and discussion of the WCCM weekly meditation readings published on the
internet. Then we listen to a short talk (no more than 10 minutes) by
Fr. Laurence or by other spiritual leaders before the start of the
meditation which, at the request of the inmates, was extended to 30
minutes. At the end of the meditation I play music from one of Margaret
Rizza's CDs and finish by reading a closing prayer. During the last part
of the two hour time slot, we do some sharing, answer questions, and
listen to an audio conference or watch a video. The inmates like
watching videos. I have also built a small library for inmates to borrow
books from Medio Media. As meditation is a universal way to be in the
presence of God, one has to be ready to welcome different religious
traditions. My core group of meditators includes two Jews and two Native
Americans. This interfaith celebration allows us to inject
non-Christian readings and open the minds of traditional Christians.
During Fr. Laurence's visit to our prison unit, one of the inmates
shared his meditation experience with him: "Christian meditation has not
only educated me further about God, but has carried me through degrees
of spiritual fulfilment beyond any former experience or expectation. So
much so, I feel relieved and blessed to finally have found what truly
works best for me."
Meditating in prison is quite an awesome spiritual experience for the
inmates and me. Even the prison staff takes notice. I feel this is the
ultimate spiritual restorative experience to prepare the inmates for the
free world.