---

It's a matter of course for Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese to use $100 either to feed two families of four for a week through a food pantry, house a homeless person in a shelter for two days or pay for about three weeks of energy assistance for a family in crisis.

What's unusual is that one recent $100 donation came from a group of inmates at Hudson Correctional Facility. "It always strikes me, their sensitivity to people on the outside: disabled veterans, people at our food pantries," remarked Gerald VanAlstine, a lay chaplain at Hudson Correctional for 11 years.

Mr. VanAlstine has been a prison ministry volunteer for double that amount of time at several different facilities, so he's seen thousands of inmates come and go. But he said many people would be surprised at the number who "pretty sincerely say, 'I've made some mistakes, and it's time to make some changes.'"

One of those inmates (names are withheld for privacy) read a column in The Evangelist's Feb. 5 issue by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger on Catholic Charities' "Feeding Our Neighbors" campaign and was struck by the statistics the Bishop cited on poverty in the Albany Diocese and how Catholic Charities helps. (Read the Bishop's Feb. 5 column here.)

There are about 20 inmates who form a Catholic community at Hudson Correctional at any one time, according to Mr. VanAlstine. The men attend a Sunday-afternoon Mass by one of two sacramental ministers (or a service led by Mr. VanAlstine, if a priest is not available); there's also a Bible study on Tuesday nights. On Fridays, one group of volunteers leads a series on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius; another, a "path through Scripture," from the book of Genesis to Revelation; and a third, a "path through Catholicism," explaining the basics of the faith.

Mr. VanAlstine said some of the inmates have Catholic roots, but drifted away from the faith. Hudson Correctional can be a place for them to reconnect, since it's a medium-security facility where violence is rare; many inmates, the chaplain said, are able to serve on work crews outside the prison walls.

The Catholic group has an account into which they can make donations, like an offertory collection at a parish. They've given their accumulated funds before to groups like a Salvation Army lunch program in Hudson and a veterans' group.

This time, an inmate suggested donating to Catholic Charities. He'd gotten more information through Mr. VanAlstine on the "Feeding Our Neighbors" campaign, an effort in February to fund area food pantries and soup kitchens.

The chaplain noted that the men he serves are always alert when he mentions facts like the food pantry at his own parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Albany, getting more than 13,000 visits last year.

"Some of [the inmates] have been in and out of prison," he said. "If you don't have strong family support, you're looking for help wherever you can find it."

The inmate brought his idea to the larger group and "there was a sense that, even though they're in prison, 'Three times a day we can go over to the mess hall and get a good meal,'" said the chaplain, who was present for the conversation.

He noted that, for people in prison, $100 is a significant amount of money. At a recent meeting of prison chaplains attended by Bishop Scharfenberger, Mr. VanAlstine told the Bishop about the donation, getting a very positive reaction: "He said, 'You really made my day.'"

Catholic Charities' CEO, Vincent Colonno, was just as excited. "It's a great example of the good work that the prison and jail ministry teams are doing, and an example of how giving back can help both the giver and the receiver," he told The Evangelist. "Kindness certainly doesn't show any boundaries here."[[In-content Ad]]

---