Fr. Stephen Nwankwo (red), in San Francisco offering Thanksgiving Prayer, and James Quanico, Captain Custody Operations Division County Jail #3 / Julio Escobar
CV NEWS FEED // The Archdiocese of San Francisco provided Thanksgiving meals, along with handwritten cards, to 1,200 incarcerated persons at local county jails this month.
Volunteers with the Archdiocese helped deliver the meals and cards Nov. 21. Two chaplains also came and offered prayers of Thanksgiving. Julio Escobar, the Archdiocese’s restorative justice coordinator, has spearheaded the now-annual initiative of bringing Thanksgiving meals and providing cards to incarcerated persons during the holidays.
“Bringing this special meal… makes a difference and [lets] them know that they are loved by God, and that they have dignity as human beings, despite the mistakes that they have done,” Escobar told CatholicVote in a Nov. 22 interview.
The Thanksgiving cards bolster this message, Escobar added. They include Scripture verses related to gratitude and “a quote from us that personalizes [the message] that they are loved, they’re cared for, and they’re not forgotten,” he said.
Escobar explained that the initiatives had started small, but as more donations and support came in, they were able to grow. The cards are a part of the Archdiocese’s Cards of Mercy program, which sends uplifting notes to those in prison. The program also provides a template for volunteers to follow when writing the cards.
Using the program’s template, students from two high schools wrote a total of 400 hand-written cards for incarcerated persons this Thanksgiving. Other volunteers supporting the Archdiocese completed the remaining 800 cards, according to Escobar.
The initiative is one way to practice corporal works of mercy, especially the work of visiting those in prison, the program’s website notes.
Escobar shared with CatholicVote that even though people are familiar with the corporal works of mercy, knowing how to implement them can be a challenge. That is why he created the Cards of Mercy program, he said, to be an opportunity for people to both give and receive charity.
“We share the love of the Catholic Christian Faith,” Escobar said. “We need to give people opportunities to see how it is that love is manifested,” as well as how to give love.
He emphasized that charity is expressed through actions.
“We can talk about love all we want, but until we do something, love is not really manifest,” Escobar said.
He later added, “So this is a great opportunity for people to basically show what love is all about, and share it.”
Commenting on the cards’ inclusion of a Scripture passage, Escobar noted that reading the Scriptures can have a profound impact on one’s life and transform the heart. He also emphasized that God is Who transforms hearts.
“What we’re doing is presenting people with, ‘This is what God is all about,’ but the rest of the work is done by God … That conversion is really between that individual and God. We are only planting seeds, and we are only instruments of His love.”
The cost of the meals was split three ways among the Archdiocese, the local Sheriff’s Department, and the California-based nonprofit Five Keys Charter School. Additionally, the nonprofit Farming Hope catered the meals at a discounted price, Escobar explained. The archdiocese had also encouraged area Catholics to sponsor a meal. The Archdiocese had also encouraged area Catholics to sponsor a meal, which cost $15 a plate. The meal included potatoes, seasoned veggies, gravy, turkey, and cranberry sauce.
Some who received the meals sent thank you notes to the Archdiocese, which shared some with CatholicVote via email.
“Seriously, Thank you,” one of the notes reads. “My favorite part was the sweet kind eyes and smile of the lady who handed me my card.”
“God bless you and have a happy new year,” another read. “Thank you for seeing us.”
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
