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Revised/reviewed October 19, 2000
Contact Person: George Macdonald
Best way to Contact: Phone: 703-524-0238
Other Team Members | Help with cookies or prayers
Description:
"God’s Special Time" is a program devoted to building Christian communities in maximum-security state and federal correctional institutions. Volunteers who have completed a Cursillo weekend participate in this program.
The Women's Correctional Institution in Goochland, Virginia is a maximum-security federal penitentiary. It is an over-crowded facility in a beautiful country setting. The crimes that brought women here range from murder, drug convictions to parole violation. The emotional (depression and anxiety) and physical conditions along with poor social skills among both officers and residents make it a difficult environment to endure.
Many of the women have been cut off from their families, lost custody of their children, and get visited infrequently. One young woman told how her parents had published her obituary when she went to jail. She was 25. There is bitterness, anger, hurt, betrayal, and a good deal of shame. There is an attitude of great mistrust for each other. In the sharing we eventually find that many of the women have been sexually abused as children. Some residents live with 24 others in a dorm area. Others have one roommate. They all speak of trying to isolate themselves, never talking to anyone in order to avoid trouble.
The KAIROS team which puts on the weekend is made up of thirty women ages 30 to 70, from different faith traditions. Jean Sweeney and Lee Ann Petta served on the most recent team. The team is greeted with mistrust by the resident prisoners (ages 24-65). " Those people looked too happy", said one resident.
Residents come with mixed feelings. Some signed up for the weekend a year ago and had just learned they could come, making it necessary to cancel family visits. Many said they came because they noticed that other residents who made the weekend were "nicer" people. Others came looking for direction, growth, or guidance. Some came because they heard about the home baked cookies! The anxiety in the room is palpable. Our weekend began with introductions. There was a great GASP in the room when one team member introduced herself as a police detective, another as a social worker, another an FBI agent, another as a nun. It was easier for the residents to accept the mothers or grandmothers than these "institutional" people." One team member was a former resident at Goochland. Her presence gave hope.
All the team members slept on the floor of a nearby church, going to the prison early in the morning until well into the evening. A support team of Kairos men cooked early morning breakfasts and evening dinners for the team. They sorted cookies and did a myriad of other assisting functions. One man found wildflowers to decorate the tables - a spot of beauty for a hard day! Michael Hartford who has worked five or six Kairos teams in men's prisons served on this support team in May.
Anyone on team for a retreat like this must have a personal experience of the abundance of God's love, in order to bring that abundance to incarcerated people. It's got to come from someplace in our daily lives. The brothers and sisters at St. Charles are part of this personal experience of God's love. They give it so it can be passed on.
All of you who promised prayer had your names written on a colorful paper chain which at one point in the weekend was displayed and covered the room. Jail residents and team were prayed for around the clock from Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening. Men and women from other prisons all over the world joined that prayer. Every bite of a home made cookie reminded us of the sacrifice of love made by St. Charles and others. For the women living in this penitentiary it was a sign of God's unconditional love. They gathered in the hallway, tearfully looking at the brightly colored "Happy" drawings sent from preschool and elementary school children of Arlington and Fairfax.
The residents shared how the talks, sharing, MUSIC, and the vulnerable witness of team members made them feel like part of the "family of God". Said one, "Why those women were just like us!" (That's what the team said also!) The residents believed that Christ was FOR them and WITH them in all circumstances. They spoke of forgiving themselves and forgiving others. Some spoke of how they now had a mission within Goochland. They wanted to live Christ in this environment. It was powerful. One woman shared how touched she was during the forgiveness service to see an officer and team go forward for the prayer of forgiveness. All of us need forgiveness.
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In order to serve on a Kairos team you must have experienced
the similar Cursillo Weekend first (a 3 day weekend in
Christian Community). Without that
there are opportunities to work at our
Local Jail: Call
Randy Bender at 703-527-2476 or Linda Cirillo at 703-271-0488.
For KAIROS
info: Michael Hartford at 354-6876; George MacDonald at 524-0238;
LeeAnn Petta, Linda Cirillo at 703-271-0488 or Jean Sweeney jeansween@erols.com - Parish
office 527-5500.
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Revised/reviewed October 19, 2000