News

Monthly Hispanic Mass offered at jail

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

The setting was a classroom instead of a church, but it didn't matter to the 20 inmates who participated in last month's Hispanic Mass at the Brown County Jail, the first ever at the facility. They arrived with Bibles in hand to celebrate their faith.

"The majority had not been to Mass for a long time," said Fr. Ken DeGroot, O.Praem., pastor at St. Willebrord Parish in Green Bay, who presided at the Mass. "This was very important to them. The reception was very warm. They all thanked me."

"When we sang a couple songs, there were tears in their eyes," said Dcn. Luis Sanchez, who along with Dcns. Jim Gauthier and Bob Nooker, regularly visits inmates at the jail. "Most of the people there shared that it was the best thing that happened since they've been incarcerated. They came up to me afterwards to shake my hand. They said, 'We need this more often. I hope this was not only today.'"

The plan is to offer the Hispanic Mass at the jail on the third Monday of each month. Inmates must sign up to attend.

"I had been to the jail a couple times before for confessions," said Fr. DeGroot. "A lot of the Hispanic people there want to go to confession. That got us talking about doing something during Lent."

"A lot of the people want to go to confession to feel more at peace," said Dcn. Sanchez, also of St. Willebrord Parish. "In the Hispanic culture, if you don't go to confession, you don't want to receive Communion. The Mass was very uplifting. They get together for a little service at night, but it's not the same. It's not the same as seeing the priest and the Body and Blood of Christ."

Most of the Hispanic people in the Brown County Jail are not hardened criminals, said Fr. DeGroot. Many are jailed for driving without a license, driving while intoxicated or possession of illegal drugs.

"For many, their fear is so great because, in Mexico, the police are all corrupt," he said. "If you are arrested for a violation in Mexico, you give the police officer money. If you don't pay them off, you can be in serious trouble. They don't trust the system and some of that carries over here."

"They are afraid for their families," said Dcn. Sanchez. "A lot of them will ask me, 'Can you call my mother in Mexico?' Their families know they are in jail and think they are being harmed because of the situation in their home country. They want to make sure their families know they are safe."

Dcn. Sanchez visits Hispanic inmates at the jail on Tuesday afternoons. Showing them that someone cares is important, he said.

"They feel lonely and isolated," he said. "They feel, because they've made a mistake, that we want nothing to do with them. That's not the message. Hopefully, they learn from what they have done."

"The people like to talk to me," he added. "It's important for them to share that they are not bad people. Whatever they tell me stays there. I always share a joke with them to help them feel more comfortable. I bring them a lot of holy cards. Hispanics love the Virgin Mary. Many times, they don't want me to leave. One man grabbed my pants' leg and said, 'please stay, don't go.'"

Rev. Karen Helgerson, chaplain at the Brown County Jail, has been very supportive in outreach efforts to the Hispanic jail population, said Dcn. Sanchez.

"She is trying to get more music in Spanish," he said. "I am really pleased. She is trying to do so many things for the Latinos."

The outreach has produced results.

"I invite them to come here (St. Willebrord) when they get out of jail," said Dcn. Sanchez. "Probably 70% come here. Some get involved for the first time. I think it makes a difference for them."