From left, Tom Gregg, a prison ministry volunteer from Holy Family Parish in Fort Madison; Deacon Robert Gengenbacher and Bishop Dennis Walsh leave the Iowa State Penitentiary Dec. 17 in Fort Madison. The bishop presided at a Mass and visited with inmates.
By Dan Russo
The Catholic Messenger
FORT MADISON — As Mass was about to begin, Bishop Dennis Walsh suddenly asked everyone to leave a room used as the chapel at the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) in Fort Madison.
“Can you leave us alone for confession?” he said, before closing the door behind him and walking toward an inmate in a wheelchair.
A mix of inmates, prison staff, and volunteers waited in an adjoining room. The group could see lips moving without sound through large glass windows. The bishop listened intently and then gave absolution to Hugh, a man serving a life sentence. He had been waiting a year for the opportunity to receive the sacrament.
“The bishop was here so I wanted to go to confession with him,” said Hugh. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done that. I became Catholic in 1987.”
Now prepared to receive the Eucharist, Hugh sat with a small group in chairs lined up in rows in front of a table that had been turned into an altar. The Mass Dec. 17, about a week before Christmas, marked Bishop Walsh’s second visit to the maximum security facility near the town of about 10,000 people since he became the head of the Davenport Diocese. The day’s Gospel reading, Matthew 1:1-17, traced the genealogy of Jesus.
“The whole world tries to define us,” said the bishop. “God takes our brokenness and uses it for his greater glory.”
The savior is related to Abraham and King David through his foster father Joseph, but the list of ancestors in Matthew also includes names that are not so prominent — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.
“You have four women who are not the best of the women in the Bible,” reflected Bishop Walsh.
Matthew includes these relatives “to show us God takes those who have struggled in life and uses them.”
“It tells us God acts in unexpected ways,” he said.
Tom Gregg, a prison ministry volunteer from Holy Family Parish in Fort Madison, comes regularly to the Masses held at the penitentiary about twice a month. The liturgies are celebrated by priests of the local deanery and provide opportunities to get to know inmates. Although many are serving time after being convicted of violent crimes, Gregg believes in God’s ability to change anyone’s heart.
“God is love, but it’s not like our love,” said Gregg. “It’s perfectly pure.”
The word penitentiary comes from a Latin word meaning repentance. This typically involves the sacrament of reconciliation and acts of penance for Catholics. The concept of contrition for wrongdoing followed by a turn to the good is found in many faiths. The belief in God’s ability to transform people inspires the work of ISP Chaplain Darwin Johnson, one of the group that aided Bishop Walsh during his recent visit.
“I was attracted to prison ministry because … I wanted to be a part of helping these guys move out of criminal behavior and into a healthy life,” said the chaplain, who is a Baptist.
Bishop Dennis Walsh, right, talks with Chaplain Darwin Johnson at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison Dec. 17.
He oversees a chapel which hosts services for “approximately 18 different religions,” including Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other lesser known faiths. Johnson worked as a security officer in the penitentiary for more than 20 years before becoming chaplain about four years ago. Some inmates can be difficult to deal with or are “master manipulators,” but Johnson said his personal background and years of experience have helped him.
“Because I have a history with these guys, it can be beneficial,” he said.
Fences topped with barbed wire surround guard towers situated on a flat, bare piece of rural land that once served as the prison’s farm. The current Fort Madison penitentiary opened in 2015, replacing a much older prison situated in town. A fluctuating population of 500-600 inmates calls the place home. A large yard inside the center of the facility is surrounded by various buildings.
There are several security checkpoints visitors must pass through before entering. On a hallway wall leading to the final check point before going inside are the words “One team, One mission.” In this hall, several staff members stop to get a snack from a popcorn machine that had been set up on the day the bishop visited. Johnson said small gestures like this help to create a supportive environment for employees of the penitentiary.
“We try to take care of each other because it’s a toxic environment — it can seep in,” said the chaplain.
Bishop Walsh talked with inmates and staff before and after the Mass. He is familiar with prison ministry as the result of a year’s rotation serving as a student chaplain during seminary formation in Washington, D.C. His time in the D.C. jail system under the supervision of Father Mike Bryant of the Archdiocese of Washington, a well-known figure in prison ministry, taught him that chaplains must be “assertive” and set clear boundaries, while also maintaining their compassion.
Todd, another inmate, did a reading and rang a bell during the consecration at Mass. He said he is dealing with legal issues and has been relying on his faith.
“There’s times in life you struggle to remember that God’s the master. I find peace in here (when) he’s in my life,” he said.
The Mass opened and closed with “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” an Advent hymn that references the Jewish captivity in Babylon, God’s forgiveness and the coming of the savior after a long wait.
Tayvon, another inmate at the Mass said he was raised Catholic, but stopped practicing for a time. He has come back to his faith. He joined the congregation singing as sunlight shone through the windows of the chapel on the unseasonably warm winter day.
“My faith is the biggest pillar of my life.” he said after Mass. “Jesus is everything.”
