Prison ministry makes interfaith connections

By DEACON STEVE YOUNG- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

(Editor's note: Deacon Young is coordinating chaplain for Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie and does liturgical ministry at St. Patrick's parish in Ravena.)

"I was in prison and you visited me" (Matthew 25:36).

"Chaplain, how do I get to go to Jumu'ah?" "What time is the rabbi's service?" "Do you know anything about the Protestant choir practice?" "Are Santerias allowed to wear multicolored prayer beads?" "How do we handle a Rastafari crown?" "Can Roman Catholics have scapulars?"

These are just a few examples of the many questions that a prison chaplain might be asked in any given day. With close to 20 different faith groups represented at Greene Correctional Facility, a medium-security state prison in Coxsackie, a "typical" day is anything but typical.

One minute, a chaplain may be working with Muslims planning a Ramadan event; the next minute, he or she could be consoling a Sikh after informing him of a death in his family. In such a diverse environment, the four chaplains on staff need to be sensitive to the spiritual welfare of each of the incarcerated men in our care, regardless of the prisoner's belief system.

All state chaplains must wear many different hats throughout the course of their weekly duties. Not only are chaplains responsible for members of their own faith, as well as a portion of the remaining 15 religions that do not have a chaplain on staff, they also need to be available at a moment's notice for any other inmate, staff member or correction officer needing spiritual assistance.

Working in such a stressful atmosphere brings with it a very unique set of conditions not often experienced outside the prison walls.

When I asked the Muslim chaplain at Greene, Imam E. Gaber, what inspired him in his ministry at the prison, he said: "One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is the opportunity to counsel a wide range of people. It really helps keep me in the real world."

Ironically, outside the prison's walls, cooperative interfaith relations are one of the biggest struggles we face on a local and global level. Even a quick glance at the news can make one feel that religious difference is one of the factors that most endangers peace in the world.

Thankfully, within our community at Greene, nothing could be further from the truth. Our professional staff of Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant religious leaders and clergy not only works very well together as a team; we view each other as true friends.

In addition, we share duties supervising our many para-professional religious volunteers, all of whom work together diligently to bring about a sense of peace and harmony to those in our collective care.

This is not meant to imply that we chaplains live in a delusional dreamworld where everything is perfect, or to imply that we do not have, at times, very lively religious discussions among ourselves. It is, however, an affirmation that each chaplain places a great deal of importance on supporting one another as children of God, by being respectful of each other's faith and the unique way each celebrates their religious tradition.

Because of this, even in an environment filled with criminals of all types, I see a thriving model for religious tolerance that I am striving to bring to the world outside its walls.

Our own Pope Francis recently was credited (and, unfortunately, discredited by some) for his inclusive language that stressed that all of us are children of God, regardless of our faith. As we navigate the complicated, interfaith world in which we live, may we take courage in the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."[[In-content Ad]]