St. Maurice? He wouldn’t think so!

 

A Parable 

The location: heaven.

The scene: A conversation between the Lord and St. Joseph Cafasso.

 Jehovah: “Hey Joe, remember that time when I persuaded the Catholic Church to recognize your impressive prison ministry and to canonize you as a saint?” 

St. Joseph: “Yes, indeed, my Lord. You know that it wasn’t my intent to become a saint. I was focused on showing compassion to men and women behind bars. I called it ‘Jesus work.’” 

“It could not have had a better title,” said the Lord. “As a priest in Italy during the 1800s, you were given the name ‘Priest of the Gallows.’ And for good reason! In those days the prisons in Turin were notoriously hazardous, filthy, and overcrowded. You made it your mission to go cell-to-cell, restoring a sense of basic human dignity to thieves and murderers. I was so proud when you personally accompanied over 60 men to the scaffold for their executions. You would spend the entire night before an execution inside the cell with the condemned man, praying and counseling him.”

“Why do you bring up the subject, Lord?” 

“Well, I’ve got my eye on another guy. A Black dude, poor as a church mouse, raised in the slums of Gary Indiana in a home next door to a brothel.” 

“I don’t mean to be rude, Lord, but I’m not seeing the connection.” 

“Maurice Carter was convicted in the 1970s for a crime he did not commit and spent 29 years in the Michigan prison system.” 

“And that qualifies him for sainthood?” 

“Just hear me out. After spending 20 years behind bars, he met a white man with a completely opposite background. Doug Tjapkes was Dutch, born and raised in a middle-class home in a white community. As an adult he had nice jobs in broadcast journalism and church organ sales. You and I know that such a meeting was not a coincidence.” 

“I’m still not following.” 

“I gave Doug the idea of helping this indigent Black man to prove innocence and obtain freedom. I saw to it that the pair launched an impressive 10-year campaign that even drew international attention. Maurice Carter was no longer an anonymous Black prisoner.” 

“Ah, I’m starting to see the picture. Maurice got out of prison, his sentence was reversed, and he began a new life serving you and helping prisoners!” 

“Joe, Joe,” said the Lord. “By now you should know that I’m the master of surprise endings. After a 10-year fight they still did not get an exoneration, Maurice was finally released from prison due to illness, and he died 3 months after his release.” 

“So?” 

Now my point. Maurice Carter is a hero. I think he may qualify for sainthood! Thanks to the prodding of Maurice, Doug discovered that I had called him into a final career, one of loving and serving prisoners. He went on to form an organization that offered assistance and compassion to Michigan prisoners. It was a seed that I planted in the mind of Maurice, and that I encouraged Doug Tjapkes to tend and to water.” 

“The church won’t be doing any canonizing here, but to me Maurice is a saint!” 

The Catholic Saint nodded and added his blessing, then returned to his task of loving and blessing prisoners and prison chaplains. 

And, blessed by God, Humanity for Prisoners continued its unique ministry.

THE END

 

 

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