CV NEWS FEED // After Hurricane Helene forced the relocation of over 2,100 incarcerated men and women from western North Carolina, Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte have stepped in to continue their prison ministry outreach.
The Catholic News Herald reported that power and water outages in several facilities prompted the emergency transfer of inmates to institutions across the central and eastern regions of the state.
“The inmates have been distributed throughout the state, and we understand most of them will stay at their present locations until their respective institutions are back up and running,” said David Coe, temporary coordinator of the Diocese’s prison ministry and leader of the Residents Encounter Christ (REC) program.
The REC program is a Catholic initiative that is “designed to bring hope and the knowledge of Christ to inmates.” Coe and his team, who came through the storm unharmed, are now working to reconnect with those affected, despite the logistical challenges posed by the storm, the report shared.
Inmates from affected facilities were moved from Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution, Craggy Correctional Center, Mountain View Correctional Institution, the Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women, and the Western Correctional Center for Women, according to the report.
Coe explained that many men served by the ministry have been relocated to Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville.
“[W]e’re trying to locate as many of the people we’ve been working with as possible,” Coe told the Catholic News Herald. “It will be difficult at best to find all of them simply because of the extent of the damage both the institutions and our team members have experienced, especially in the Spruce Pine area.”
Prior to the storm, a group of inmates at Craggy Correctional had been learning about the liturgy and sacraments through Father Patrick Cahill of St. Eugene Church in Asheville. Coe is reaching out to ensure that this group and others from the western region can continue their faith journey while displaced at Alexander Correctional.
In addition, Coe led a weekly “Christ-centered 12-step program” at Craggy, designed to help inmates overcome addiction. He is hopeful that this initiative can be started up again at their new location.
“We want to see if the chaplain at Alexander can re-organize that group of about 26 men so they can continue their efforts to be set free from drug and alcohol addiction,” Coe said. “They’re wonderful men who are sincere about being set free.”