– By John Stegeman

Jake had been in prison for some time when he hit rock bottom.
His gang-related activities had placed him in “the hole,” a form of punitive solitary confinement.  Lost, alone and addicted to drugs, it seemed his life was over. In the small cell he cried out to God, “Please help me!”

Jake’s path to prison began early. He was 12 when he began using drugs and alcohol. At 13 he was arrested for selling marijuana in middle school. He stole a car, got shot, and ultimately in his 20s, he took the life of another man, leading to his incarceration.

Jake believes that night in the hole that God heard his prayer. He resolved to change his life. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it. He needed a sign.

Not long after his night in the hole Jake walked by the prison chapel during the celebration of Mass. As he glanced into the chapel, he caught a glimpse of the priest lifting something high above his head. The room was hushed, the atmosphere prayerful. A strange stillness settled over him, and though he didn’t understand yet that he was seeing the Real Presence of Jesus, he couldn’t look away. Jake had to come back and learn more.

He got permission to attend Mass, and after attending for a while joined a group organized by Marty Arlinghaus, Director of Prison Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The ministry is funded by the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Jake had many questions. He had grown up in a Protestant denomination and he wondered where the truth of Christianity could be found in full.

Had Catholic Prison Ministry not been celebrating Mass that day, and had the classes and fellowship not been available, Jake could have ended up anywhere. Arlinghaus said many prisoners who eventually seek connection to a higher power end up in Paganism or Islam or another Christian denomination. Most, he added, just end up in despair, convinced they are beyond redemption.

By God’s grace Jake was moved to become Catholic. He was baptized and confirmed in prison. This changed his life. He began working to get sober and to quit using pornography. He became less quick to anger. He availed himself of Confession. Finally, Jake resolved to leave the gang that had formed his social safety net in prison.

Prison gangs have rules, and Jake’s had a simple one. To leave the gang, you had to take a beating from multiple members. Jake wasn’t afraid, but he knew he’d have to fight back, which conflicted with his newfound peace. He also knew a fight meant three more months in the hole without access to the sacraments or Catholic fellowship. He shared his concerns with Marty and the two prayed that God would find Jake a way out. In the end, the gang saw the sincerity of Jake’s belief and let him leave without violence to pursue his new life in Christ.

Marty says Jake became an example to other men in the Catholic Prison Ministry program as one who worked to find creative ways to live a life of faith in prison. He got his GED and took additional courses. He wanted to become a man his children could look up to, and it all started because Mass was being celebrated the day he walked by the chapel.

There are men like Jake in all three major prisons in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (Lebanon, Warren, and Dayton). Marty, his volunteers and a dozen or so priests meet them every day, providing each of them the opportunity to find the fullness of faith in Christ.

Jake wrote a letter to Marty sharing his story from a life in turmoil to one of peace. In closing he wrote, “God has given me a second chance at life and I can’t wait to show people his love and mercy.”

The Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) is the annual campaign supporting six local ministry areas that teach, feed, and heal.
Through the CMA, all parishes of the Archdiocese join together as the Body of Christ to collaborate in the Corporal Works of Mercy.

YOUR financial gift to the CMA is what makes these life-changing moments possible. To Donate, Click HERE