A chaplain distributes Communion to a death-row inmate at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Ind. In Texas, a group of nearly 200 faith leaders, including 18 Catholics, signed a statement sent to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice July 23, 2019, asking the department to change its policy banning prison chaplains from execution chambers. (CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Northwest Indiana Catholic) See TEXAS-DEATH-ROW-CHAPLAINS July 25, 2019. Bishop Gary Gordon of Victoria, British Columbia said the priest who volunteered to remain with inmates has a deep and long commitment to prison ministry.
The Bishop said, for privacy reasons, he would not reveal the name or location of the priest in question.
“He offered to go there and live in the institution 24-7,” said Bishop Gordon, who is the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ representative for prison ministry.
“For a bishop to hear that from a priest, you say ‘OK, this is what it’s all about. This is the vocation – lay it on the line.’ It’s really beautiful.”
Although spiritual care has been classified as an essential service and prison ministry visits are still technically allowed at Ontario jails, individual institutions are being very careful about letting volunteers in and out.
Spiritual care
As Covid-19 infections begin to emerge in prisons, spiritual care for inmates has dwindled amid growing anxiety over the dangers faced by inmates and prison staff alike.
Bishop Gordon though hopes to persuade federal officials not to completely cut off prisoners from their chaplains.
“If someone is gravely ill, then the priest should be allowed to bring them the holy anointing of the sick and viaticum,” he said.
Canadian Catholics should, according to Bishop Gordon, be praying for prisoners and leaving the judgment to others.
“We’ve got a very vulnerable population in these institutions by virtue of their addictions history. We really should be offering up a prayer.”