“As a mother she accepts us as her sons,” Bishop Barnes said of Our Lady during his homily. “She receives us and guides us to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Barnes travels to state and federal prisons for many major holidays and Catholic Feast Days. He says spending these major occasions with inmates sends them a message that they are not forgotten, that they retain dignity given them by God and that there are people on the “outside” who are praying for them to turn their lives around.
In a stirring sign of reverence to Our Lady, the prisoners processed up the hallway to the Chapel on their knees, a gesture the Bishop said he had not seen before in his visits to correctional facilities.
“Their will and their focus during the celebration were very touching,” said Sister Chilee Okoko, D.M.M.M., who was among those from the Diocese who accompanied Bishop Barnes on his visit.
Before Mass, Bishop Barnes heard the confessions of two inmates. Later he fielded some questions from the group of about 40 who attended the Mass. Several asked for a stronger Catholic presence in the prison. Bishop Barnes asked them to pray for vocations to the priesthood to help meet that need. He also acknowledged the importance of the Church’s prison ministry.
“You know that we are praying for you every single day,” he said. “But we need to come here and visit you, too.”
The Bishop and the diocesan group spent some time chatting with the inmates as they ate lunch in the dining hall.