By Joanna Gardner
Photo by Alan M. Dumoff
On Dec. 18, exactly one week before Christmas Day, some 60 inmates of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) at Fairton gathered in the facility’s chapel for a Mass celebrated by Bishop Dennis Sullivan.
The Mass was bilingual, with inmates reading the petitions in Spanish, and the bishop addressing Spanish-speaking inmates at the end of the Mass.
“Coming here before Christmas makes you realize that the coming of the Lord is even for those in prison. He comes to save, to redeem, us all,” Bishop Sullivan said.
FCI at Fairton is a medium security federal prison, which allowed for the inmate participation. At the end of the Mass, the bishop, Franciscan Sister Mary Lou Lafferty, Catholic Charities’ prison ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Camden, and others shared refreshments and visited with the gathered inmates. Bishop Sullivan moved through the room introducing himself and shaking hands, swapping sports team allegiances with prisoners from New York, Boston, Chicago and beyond.
“His presence is important because he is the shepherd of the whole diocese. His presence helps the prisoners know they’re accepted, they’re part of the church,” said Sister Mary Lou.
The nun is helping the bishop coordinate with the prisons to meet his goal of visiting all of the prisons in South Jersey within the year. He will celebrate Masses at the Camden and Atlantic County Correctional Facilities in January. His last visit was to Salem County Correctional Facility in November.
The bishop’s homily at the all-male facility focused on St. Joseph as an example of a righteous man.
“Joseph comes before us as a model for us of what it means to be right with God, and to be right with each other, especially with those for whom we have great love,” he said.
Concelebrating was Father Vincent Guest, pastor of nearly two years at the Parish of the Holy Cross in Bridgeton. An early priority for him as pastor was to bolster the parish’s prison ministry. The parish contains four state prisons in addition to FCI at Fairton and, Father Guest said, he considers their inmates his parishioners.
“I try to emphasize how Christ has come to free us. Even from prison he can free us from the darkness in our lives,” he said. He celebrates Mass and hears confessions once a month at South Woods State Prison. Last April, the prison received Bishop Sullivan.
“It means the world,” Father Guest said of the visit. “They’re still talking about it.”
Also in attendance were Deacon Michael Carter, Deacon Russell Davis of the Parish of All Saints in Millville, and Father Sergio Bicomong of the Diocese of Trenton. Father Bicomong is in residence at the Millville parish and coordinates Catholic prison ministry at the Fairton facility.
Deacon Davis leads Scripture study in the facility twice a month, preparing inmates for the Mass readings at one of the facility’s three Sunday Masses celebrated by Father Sergio.
“Particularly the reverence of the inmates for the Eucharist has made me realize their humanness and their willingness to come to God, in spite of being in prison,” Deacon Davis said.
He was touched in particular by the prayer of an inmate at a recent Bible study: “He prayed that the men who were going to serve their first Thanksgiving away from their families would be OK.”
Those interested in becoming involved with prison ministry in the Diocese of Camden should contact Sister Mary Lou Lafferty, 856-342-4106 or Sr.MaryLou.Lafferty@camdendiocese.org.
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