By Caroline Smith
As the Jubilee Year of Mercy draws to a close, Pope Francis is urging members of the Catholic community to think about one specific marginalised group in our society – those who are in jail.
The Holy Father has chosen Sunday, 6 November to be a Jubilee for Prisoners, when Church representatives will offer a message of love and hope to people who are incarcerated around the world.
In his message to prisoners, Bishop Delegate for the Australian Catholic Prisoners Pastoral Care Council, the Most Reverend Terry Brady, said the day invited us to follow God’s merciful example, to forgive and love rather than judge and condemn.
“Many people have spent time in jail – including saints and even Jesus himself,” he said.
“His message is meant for everyone, regardless of the circumstances, because we all possess human dignity.”
Among those offering their thoughts to prisoners in Australia will be chaplains such as Joe O’Brien, who for the past five years has been supporting people at a number of Perth prisons, in particular Hakea and Acacia prisons.
Mr O’Brien – who is Acting Co-ordinator Prison Ministry at the Archdiocese of Perth – said that showing compassion to those behind bars was key to his role, which provided ample opportunity to reflect on his faith.
“My job is to live my faith, to see Jesus in the prisoners and to love them, just because they’re there,” he said.
“I never know what I’m going to face when I walk in the door each day. At Hakea, we get people straight off the streets – some are high on drugs, or have other problems.
“I love helping them come down and listening to their stories.”
As well as being someone who can listen, chaplains also provide a source of stability to prisoners, who often came from difficult backgrounds, Mr O’Brien added.
“They’re looking for someone who’s solid, because many of them have nothing like that,” he said.
“One thing I deal with a lot is grief. A lot of people have family members die while they’re in prison, and sometimes they can’t get out to be at the funeral, so we sit with them through that.”
Mr O’Brien also stated that while he was happy to speak about God to the prisoners, he emphasised that giving them hope and support was the biggest priority.
“It’s not about pushing my faith,” he said.
“What we bring is hope – that’s the role of a chaplain. We often help them contact people from their own faith – they really appreciate that.”