Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, offered Mass at a prison June 24, telling inmates in his homily that they are called to live their faith even while imprisoned.
Visiting North Central Correctional Institution (NCCI) on the feast of St. John the Baptist, the Ohio bishop said in his homily that the saint’s message was meant for all people.
“Our first reading from Isaiah says, ‘I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach the ends of the Earth,’” Bishop Fernandes said, according to The Catholic Times. “Those words are also spoken to each of you, even in this place, which, at times for you, can seem like it is dark. God is calling you to bring His light here, to tell others about Jesus and the salvation He offers.”
NCCI is an all-male prison that holds both minimum- and medium-security prisoners. The inmates who attended Mass were grateful to their bishop for ministering to them directly.
“It’s good to know that the bishop comes here and recharges the Catholic community,” Catholic inmate Barry Thiery said. “It shows that he cares about us guys who are incarcerated.”
Approximately 15% of America’s 1.8 million incarcerated people identify as Catholic, according to Pew Research Center.
This was not Bishop Fernandes’ first time ministering to those in prison. Since becoming the youngest diocesan bishop in the United States in 2022, the Ohio native has made a point to include imprisoned members of his diocese in his episcopal duties.
The bishop led inmates at Madison Correctional Institution in a Rosary and two Masses in 2023. During the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in 2024, Bishop Fernandes led pilgrims to Pickaway Correctional Institution, where he celebrated Mass for inmates.
During that Mass, he told them, “There is nothing in the world that can keep Jesus’ mercy and Jesus’ love from you — not even the walls of this place.”
Bishop Fernandes said he believes that Inmates are called to evangelize.
“You are my missionaries in here,” he told the men of NCCI. “I need each and every one of you to be on a mission from God. And you are to bring God’s mercy, God’s forgiveness, and God’s love and healing to everyone you meet.”
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