Happy Feast of St. Clare

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Feast of St. Clare!

I write to you today, literally from a new perspective... I am living 20 feet away from a prison fence! As some of you know I accepted a position as a Prison Chaplain four months ago as a challenge from the Lord to Serve the "least" of His Brothers in prison specifically mentioned in Matthew 25:35-40. While we've heard and read that scripture passage all of our lives, you really don't understand what prison is like until you've entered the gates yourself! 

We have 850+ adult men of all ages who have committed every type of crime you can imagine - from theft to murder and everywhere in between. Most of them will eventually return to their homes, but many of them will remain in prison for the rest of their lives. From day one, they try to intimidate and test you, seeing if they can scam something out of you and break the rules. I've had to say "No" more in this short time than I have my entire life. The men are filled with anxiety and stress, most have little support from their family and friends, and they live in fear because they can't trust the others they live with. There is noise 24/7 and there's absolutely no privacy. They are truly Suffering in more ways than can be described... Not materially as they have more than their basic needs met, but certainly emotionally and spiritually.

When I founded the OFH in 2015, I knew that the Lord would have me physically (in person) bring our Mission of Praying for WORLD PEACE to inmates in prison someday (it was always part of God's plan). I didn't know when or how that would happen... But, I didn't have to figure any of that out as I saw the posting for the position in early 2024, I applied and was immediately hired. From the very beginning, I thought of St. Clare who chose, as a cloistered nun behind bars, to be separated from the world for Christ. As I've told the inmates, "I CHOOSE to be in prison with you each day, because Christ has asked me to be here with you." Believe me... This type of ministry isn't for everyone! You can certainly be a penpal to an inmate and I encourage you to do so if you're inclined, but we still need people in ministry feeding the poor, visiting the sick etc, so keep up the good work!

It took a while, but I feel the inmates trust me now. They know I'm not a "cop." I've helped them whenever and however I can. I've had to deliver bad news to some... One inmate's son passed away the day he was born, and another inmate's son was just shot and killed this week in a gang-related shootout. I've helped others with good things like helping them with plans to get married and an inmate this last week said he wants to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation! We have a Catholic priest that comes once a month and he will get special permission from the Bishop to confer the Sacrament. It's AMAZING to see how the Holy Spirit is starting to work "on the yard" as they say. While many of them are EXPERTS in quoting the scriptures... I'm now teaching them how to LIVE the Gospels and slowly grow their prayer lives.

I wanted to share a special moment with you that I had this weekend during our Service. When I woke up in the morning and opened my eyes, I immediately heard the Lord say, "Talk about PEACE today." I had something else prepared, but I knew I had to be Obedient so I asked, "What specifically do you want me to say?" The Lord said, "Be Still and Know that I'm the Lord." We had about 65 inmates in our small Chapel which was standing-room only, and I was sharing with them about the many horrible acts of war that are happening throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. I told them the Lord wanted me to tell them to "Be Still and Know that I'm the Lord" and asked them to share a few minutes of Silence to pray for WORLD PEACE. It was AMAZING... PURE SILENCE... you could have heard a pin drop! The inmates are CRAVING PEACE... They wan't PEACE and LOVE more than anything else. I asked them, "Have you EVER heard anything so quiet in your life???!!!" They didn't know it was possible to pray in Silence in prison and they want to learn more about praying in the Silence of Contemplation.

St. Clare cherished what Our Lord teaches us in Matthew 6:6 about how to pray... "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Prison, and our own homes, are perfect places for us to put this into practice... We just need to start. 

Speaking of prison... Don't forget, St. Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote one of the most important scripture passages that is part of our Mission as Franciscan Hermits... St. Paul "begs" of us in Ephesians 4:1-6:

​"therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all Humility and Gentleness, with Patience, bearing with one another in LOVE, making every effort to maintain the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace. There is One Body and One Spirit, just as you were called to the One Hope of your calling,  One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father of All, who is above All and through All and in All."

St. Clare, Help Us... Pray for Us as we work towards "maintaining the Unity of Spirit in the bond of Peace" throughout the world!

Let Us Pray for One Another... LOVE and PEACE Always...

Br. Paul, OFH
Founder and Guardian of the Order of Franciscan Hermits