Brian Bargent is a Roman Catholic prison chaplain working across two men’s prisons, HMP Exeter, a category “B” local remand and young offenders prison, and HMP Channings Wood, a category “C” prison near Newton Abbot.
‘As part of a multi-faith team, a prison chaplain’s “typical” day, if there is such a thing, is a mix of the routine and the unexpected. The routine involves a range of statutory duties like seeing every new prisoner within 24 hours of their arrival, and visiting men who are in the Care & Separation (segregation) unit due to some form of disruptive behaviour. Weekly Mass, Bible Studies, sacramental preparation, and providing pastoral support are other “routine” activities for a Catholic Chaplain, but every interaction has the potential for the unexpected. Sometimes the unexpected is touching, at other times, deeply spiritual, funny, or heart-breaking. But it is always “real”, as the following stories hopefully show:
There was a young homeless man, “George”, who was repeatedly in and out of prison for short periods. Despite his difficulties, he had a deep faith and never missed attending Mass. He said more than once that he really wanted to be baptised, but kept getting released before his wish could be realised. The day he was finally baptised and confirmed he was deeply moved, with tears in his eyes. He was released the following week.
“Harry” had a cheeky sense of humour. He asked me to be his God-parent / sponsor for his baptism and confirmation. One day, walking through the wing, Harry called out from the far end – “Daddy!” as I turned, he pointed at me and shouted “Jesus loves you”. I pointed back at him: “And he loves you too.” He replied “He probably loves me more though, ‘coz I don’t hassle him like you do.”
Other occasions are not so happy, but profound, like visiting ”Tom”, a terminally ill man who had been transferred, under guard, to a hospice. The hospice, provided a beautiful, serene environment for Tom’s last days where he was able to be cared for and have his family with him. To be able to accompany them all, sharing in their time of grief, and to witness the love and beautiful memories they shared, was a humbling privilege.
Those in prison can struggle with reading, meaning Bible Study can be a challenge for them. So a video series about Jesus’s ministry is literally a God-send. “The Chosen” fits this bill brilliantly, portraying events in Jesus’s ministry, and the impact Jesus has on his disciples and those he encounters. At the end of each episode, the men engage in a lively discussion about what struck them. Sometimes their responses are surprising and touching, like “Dick” who said he felt moved by the story of Matthew’s parents disowning him because he was a tax collector. This was only an incidental scene in the video, and I’d not thought too much about it, but it made Dick tear up thinking about how his own family had disowned him.
There are many other stories that could be told; some not as “nice” as these. There is a victim behind each crime. There’s addiction, violence, domestic abuse, mental health issues and more. And prisoners are often victims too, in one way or another. But hopefully these stories remind us to see beyond the crime and see the person Jesus loves. That is often the hardest message for the men and women in our prisons to really accept: that they are loved and loveable.’