Early in June, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, at the invitation of Chaplain Father Dan Willenborg and acting warden Lynn Dexheimer, visited the Taylorville Correctional Center where he celebrated Mass and had an informal tour of the facility.
In a warm gymnasium that doubled as a worship area, Bishop Paprocki prayed with the approximately 125 prison residents and a number of staff members who gathered around a makeshift altar that featured a small crucifix and a few well-placed potted plants. The music was provided by the prison’s praise band, who played instruments that have been donated or purchased with money from the Inmate Benefit Fund.
The residents, seated in grey plastic chairs, listened intently to what Bishop Paprocki, who spoke to them in English, Spanish and even a few words of Polish, had to say about God’s word and their place in his kingdom.
“I have come among you mindful of the words of the Divine Savior: ‘I was in prison and you came to me’ (Matthew 25:36). He said these words to those to whom he also said, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ (Matthew 25:34). But to those who did not visit him in prison, he said, ‘Depart from me, you accursed’ (Matthew 25:43).
“In these few words, we see how important those in prison are to the Lord,” Bishop Paprocki said in his homily. “He goes so far as to count a visit to a prisoner as a visit to himself: ‘As you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:40).
Jesus gave the apostles a great commission, said Bishop Paprocki: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” Matthew 28: 19-20.
“It is this final command of the Lord that has brought me here to you today,” Bishop Paprocki said. “As a bishop, a successor of the apostles, this same commission has been given to me, and in it my priests also share. I have come to remind you of Christ’s love and concern for you.
“He wants you to be with him in his kingdom,” he said. “I urge you, then, to encounter him frequently in the sacraments, especially in confession and in holy Communion and to seek always to follow his commands of love.”
Because Bishop Paprocki has many duties as the leader of the Springfield diocese, he said he relies on his priests to help with prison ministry. “I would like to attend to you more frequently in person … . Father Dan Willenborg works as my close collaborator to look to your pastoral and spiritual needs, as I know he has done with a father’s love.
“For his generous and willing service to you, I am deeply grateful, and hope that you will see in his care for you the love that Jesus Christ has for you,” he said.
“I also hope that my presence here today is a clear sign and witness to the important place that ministry within the prisons in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has in my heart,” he said. “When so many people in society are ready to write you off, as we say, the church, united with Christ her Head, remains with you. Jesus never abandons you, and neither will the church, so long as you remain close to her.”
Finally, Bishop Paprocki urged the offenders to maintain hope in the future. “I do not want you to lose hope simply because you are imprisoned. The Lord’s grace is powerful and effective, even here. If we look at the lives of the saints, we see that a time spent in prison was a profound moment of conversion in many of their lives.
“We think, especially, of St. Dismas, the good thief, who, while hanging on a cross next to Jesus, expressed his faith and his sorrow for his sins when he said to the Lord: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42),’” Bishop Paprocki said.
“Jesus responds to this sincere conversion of heart by responding, ‘You will be with me this day in paradise.’”
Acting Warden Lynn Dexheimer, who was on hand to greet Bishop Paprocki, attended Mass and accompanied him around the prison, said the bishop’s visit was important to the prisoners and those who work with them. “We were particularly happy and very appreciative to have the bishop come to have Mass with the residents,” he said.
“Like the bishop said, these men have not been forgotten,” Dexheimer said. “That is a very important message. It shows that the Catholic Church really cares for the offenders and that is so very important.”