“I was naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”- Matthew 25:36

Texas has the highest prison population in the country. Each month I drive at least 650 miles to visit seven different Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) units. These include Clemens, Wayne Scott Trustee, Ramsey, Darrington, Terrall, Pam Lyncher, and Joe Kegans units, and the Harris County Jail, where 10,000 inmates reside, thirty percent of them Catholic. 

My primary role is to hear confession and celebrate Eucharist for the prisoners in Houston, Texas. There are many intense and difficult stories of struggles that the inmates share with me. Listening to their stories can be exhausting by the end of the day. I try not to take the emotions of these stories home with me, but it’s not easy because these are human stories full of emotions. 

One of my superiors on the job often says, “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.” How can you leave nothing but footprints, after each day visiting the prisoners? The inmates’ stories are not like a nature trail. They are the stories of human beings who are longing for love, forgiveness, and redemption. 

Once during a visit with an inmate, I learned that she is four months pregnant and going through a divorce. It was heartbreaking to witness such a good soul struggling to search for meaning in life. Even worse, she struggled with knowing that her child’s life will be affected by her incarceration. Seventy percent of the inmates come from dysfunctional families, with only one or no parents involved. Many of these inmates have low self-esteem and commit crimes at an early age. The story of this inmate in particular taught me a great lesson: “Stop judging and you will not be judged.” (Luke 6:37) 

The work in the prison is plentiful, but the laborers are few. There are days I want to respond only to emergency requests from inmates and leave the rest for another day. Fortunately, I am not alone in this vineyard of the Kingdom of God. There are seven permanent deacons and another 15 generous volunteers who help with teaching, retreat planning, bringing communion, and praying with the prisoners. Collaboration with others chaplains and the lay volunteers helps me develop our vision, mission, and planning. In March, I baptized four inmates at the Ramsey unit. It is rewarding for me to journey with these inmates in their conversion and transformation. 

When the day is rough and I am tired, I have found comfort in the wonderful words of the Archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia-Siller, “I do not bring the Holy Spirit to those I minister to; the Holy Spirit is already there. I only help them realize the Spirit’s presence.” At the end of each day, I recognize that this is God’s mission and not my own. - Fr. Paul Hoang, C.S.Sp.