The Anchoress
Continuing on with Catholic stuff you don’t ordinarily read, here is a very lovely story about 10 inmates at Lebanon Correctional Institution in Ohio who were baptized into the Catholic Church at Easter. (H/T Gerald)
Through our Lady of Sorrows Parish in nearby Monroe, both LeCI and Warren Correctional Institution are ministered to by a team of Catholic volunteers committed to serving the spiritual needs of their incarcerated Christian brothers, explained Christine Shimrock, who serves as a prison chaplain.
The volunteers, representing a number of area parishes, strive to emulate the services provided at the parish level including Mass, instruction and one-on-on counseling. At LeCI, the Catholic group, comprised of approximately 30 inmates, meets weekly and Jesuit Father Gene Carmichael presides at Mass for the men twice monthly.
It pleases me to no end to read that these baptisms came about through the volunteer efforts of the laity. It reminds me of what Mother Angelica always says: “you may be the only Jesus your neighbor ever sees.”
That is not meant to diminish the good work of ordained prison ministers and deacons; I just like seeing the laity at work, too.
The other odd bit of news comes via Brian Saint-Paul over at Inside Catholic – who has confirmed that this is not an April Fool’s gag – an unofficial communication to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI from members of the IMF and the World Bank:
The organizations for which we work pursue the lofty objective of promoting economic and social development, especially in the most disadvantaged countries. In embracing this lofty objective, we are convinced that true development is integral human development, namely the development of every human being, from conception to natural death, and of the whole human being, body and soul, both in himself or herself and in the social formations which the human being animates.
Your teaching, and that of your predecessors, has for us been a constant source of inspiration. Every person, in whichever stage of his or her development, is unconditionally worthy, as befits a creature made in the image of God. Likewise, the natural family, as the intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage, between a man and a woman, constitutes the first cradle in which this intrinsic human dignity finds its expression and, as such, is really the basic cell of every society.
We thank you for your witness to the intrinsic dignity of every person and of every natural family, and for your tireless appeal to every man and woman of good will to abide courageously by the natural moral law, which is the safeguard of the defenseless.
May your forthcoming visit to the United States touch the hearts of all those you will encounter.
Brian has the whole letter and one must admit, even for an “unofficial” communication this is a pretty remarkable public statement by these folks.
We certainly do live in interesting times.
Deacon Greg also has links to what he calls “the best Catholic vocation video ever“.
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