CRANSTON — What does it mean for a person in jail to know that someone outside their four walls is praying for them? One inmate, Jose, said, “My parents are praying for me, and I pray for them. But to have someone who doesn’t know me pray for me? Wow. Praise God. Just Prayers has helped me realize that we aren’t forgotten in here.”
The Just Prayers ministry began last year, when Tim Maynard, Catholic chaplain coordinator for all six prisons in Rhode Island, spoke to an inmate who asked for his prayers.
“I just had the idea that I have some friends” who would also be willing to pray for those individuals who needed prayers, Maynard said.
The first beneficiary was a man named — interestingly — Emmanuel, who has received prayers for a year now.
Maynard has volunteered in prisons for around 10 years, but only took on his role with the Diocese of Providence last year, which contracts with the Department of Corrections to provide spiritual services to incarcerated persons within the state. He also serves as the institutional chaplain, coordinating all religions for the Maximum Security prison and the Anthony P. Travisono Intake Service Center. That means he oversees the spiritual needs of 900 men in the intake center and 280 in maximum security.
To aid these souls, he instituted the Just Prayers ministry, pairing more than 150 inmates with volunteer prayer partners. He advertised in church bulletins and with the Rhode Island Catholic and began receiving emails soon after. The only expectation is that the person on the outside prays for the inmate entrusted to them.
“It’s an immediate impact when they’re told that someone’s going to pray for them,” he commented.
Maynard assigns inmates to both individuals and groups. Last year, the senior class at The Prout School in Wakefield chose Just Prayers for their service project, and 100 students prayed for 70 inmates. The Legion of Mary at St. John and James Parish in Warwick prays for David, Kahleel, Hector and Geru. Blessed Sacrament School in Providence – from preschool to eighth grade – intercede for Christian.
As a one-man shop, Maynard keeps the program small enough to be manageable but could easily see adding more inmates and expanding it into the Gloria McDonald Women’s Facility if he had more prayer warriors to match with those requesting prayers.
“I encourage [the inmates] to pray back for the people who are praying for them, too,” Maynard stated. Though he noted that those who pray will likely never meet the inmates they pray for, he hopes that praying for each other will establish a “spiritual connection” between the two.
One inmate, Kevin, has done so. “Someone wants to pray for me? Ok, I’ll pray for them. God bless them,” he said.
Prison ministry falls under the diocesan Office of Social Ministry umbrella, and Catholic Charities and Social Ministry Secretary James Jahnz spoke to Rhode Island Catholic about the importance of Just Prayers.
“Part of our Gospel call and part of what is important within our Office of Social Ministry is reaching out to those in prison,” he said.
“A lot of times when you’re incarcerated, you have the feeling that you’re all alone, that there’s no one there for you. To know that someone cares for you, to know that someone has made a promise and an effort to pray for you, interceding with the Lord on your behalf, I think that’s very powerful. People who may not have a great place to go to for hope, it provides that spark for them.”
One inmate, William, serves as proof of this. He heard about Just Prayers from a friend and asked the chaplain to be included.
“I was pretty amazed that someone on the outside who doesn’t know me would take the time to pray for me. I feel special knowing that someone I don’t even know is willing to pray for me. Somehow it brought me closer to Jesus,” he said.
Just Prayers also provides a means for Catholic schools and churches to answer the call to visit those in prison. Those who choose to take part in Just Prayers “may not have that ability to visit them physically, but you’re able to do it spiritually,” Jahnz said.
Michael was in a disciplinary unit for behavioral issues.
As a Christian, “I was sitting there all alone, trying to sort out how to pray, how to change my life,” Michael said.
“The chaplain coordinator came to visit so I just asked him if he would pray for me. He said he would definitely pray for me. We prayed together,” after which Maynard informed Michael that he knew of others outside the prison walls that would be willing to do the same. Michael agreed.
“It gave me some hope that I’m not forgotten. There’s a lot of downtime to be lonely in here. Now I’m not quite as lonely. I want to thank whoever is praying for me. It really means a lot. Touched me.”
Working in the prisons, Maynard also teaches some of these men how to pray. Many cannot recite the Our Father and he sometimes starts with the easier Jesus Prayer. “They don’t realize it’s a personal conversation with the Lord. I try to make it simpler for them,” he said.
For those interested in joining Just Prayers, Maynard can be reached via email at institutionalchaplain@dpvd.org.
