By Sarah Stiefvater
Justin Reilly never expected to find the inspiration for his life’s calling where he did.
“I had a family member who was in prison,” Reilly said. He went to visit the relative.
“Once you’re in there,” he said, “you realize why ministry is necessary.”
Reilly now leads the staff of the The Catholic Diocese of Richmond’s Prison Ministry, an organization that leads religious programs in 45 federal and state prisons across Virginia, including the Rockbridge Regional Jail.
The Catholic prison ministry is a part of the current national surge of religious activity in jail, as reported by a recently released survey by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, “Religion in Prisons.” The study surveyed professional prison chaplains from all 50 states and found the nation’s prisons to be “a bustle of religious activity.”
According to the survey, 67 percent of prison chaplains report a significant increase in participation in prison religious programs in the past few years.
The Rockbridge Regional Jail is no exception.
Jail Superintendent John Higgins says the inmates in Rockbridge County have been taking advantage of the jail’s ministry programs, including the partnership with the Catholic Diocese.
“Like most jail programs, [attendance] is a little bit up and down, but most of the time it’s a really good turnout and a really positive experience,” Higgins said.
The Richmond Diocese’s prison ministry program has 21 priests and 240 lay leaders, including Reilly, who visit participating prisons across the state for leadership and guidance. The organization then relies on volunteers to run the programs within each prison.
“The primary role of the priests is to celebrate mass,” Reilly said. “Volunteers lead Bible studies, give liturgies of the word, and teach life skills classes.”
Those life skills classes are one of the program’s main goals.
“We’re preparing them for life outside of prison,” Reilly said.
Higgins says the jail also offers a worship service on Sundays led by the Rev. Hunter Phillips, principal of the Rockbridge Christian Academy. Phillips returns to the jail on Mondays for individual counseling sessions with inmates, Higgins said.
Said Phillips: “It’s a very special ministry over there, so I’d rather keep it private.” He would not comment further.
According to the Pew survey, nearly three-quarters of prison chaplains “consider access to high quality religion-related programs in prison to be ‘absolutely critical’ for successful rehabilitation and re-entry.”
Reilly says the prison ministry program is an important rehabilitation resource for inmates that allows them to stay in touch with their faith in less than perfect circumstances.
“No matter where they are, people want a way to express their faith,” he said.