ALLOUEZ — About 20 inmates were on hand to celebrate the birth of Jesus during a Christmas Mass at the Green Bay Correctional Institution Dec. 23. Bishop David Ricken presided at the Mass, which was his second Christmas Mass for inmates in December. Earlier in the month he offered Mass for inmates at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution.
Joining Bishop Ricken in the prison chapel were Norbertine Fr. James Baraniak and Deacons Mike Vincent and Tom Mahoney. Mike Donovan, chaplain at the Green Bay facility, was instrumental in coordinating the Christmas Mass.
"It's a joy to be with you. Thank you for your presence here," Bishop Ricken told the inmates following the processional hymn. "The word of God gives us hope. It's a privilege to receive Jesus Christ in the gift of the Eucharist. We are uniquely blessed and privileged to celebrate this Mass as we commemorate Christ's coming as a child and as we wait for his return in glory in his second coming."
Bishop Ricken told The Compass that it is important for him to celebrate Mass for inmates at Christmas and on Holy Thursday. It is a tradition he began while serving as bishop of Cheyenne, Wyo., he added.
During his homily, Bishop Ricken spoke about Christ being born to the world. "We needed somebody with skin, like us with flesh and blood," he said. "Somebody like us in everything but sin to turn the world back and to establish it around peace and justice and hope — the way God created it."
He said it was an unbelievable gift God gave to the world. "The fact that we can believe it is a gift. How can God become a human being? He chose to out of love for us," said the bishop. "So Jesus is the Son of God, is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the word made flesh."
Bishop Ricken concluded his homily by encouraging the inmates to spend time reflecting on the Christmas miracle.
"I encourage you to go back to your cells ... and spend time today, up until Christmas, and picture that crib scene where Jesus is lying there, a newborn baby, totally defenseless, with his foster father and his mother," said Bishop Ricken. "Think about that mystery, that word that was not just spoken. ... So we rejoice in this great gift. Without it, when you and I die, we would all just end in some grave. With it and with Christ's second coming, we will all be raised up to heaven to share the splendor of the Father."
Donovan, who has been chaplain at the Green Bay facility for 11 years, said having the bishop present for Christmas Mass was a special treat for inmates.
"It's a big morale booster," he said. "It's an uplifting experience for them. First, the fact that the bishop takes time off from a very busy schedule to come in and visit at Christmas — and at Easter. They take that as a treat. It's not an every-day occurrence."
Donovan said that once the inmates enter prison, there is a feeling of abandonment from the outside world. To have the bishop celebrate Mass with them gives them hope.
"When they come to prison, a lot of times family and friends just cut off all ties," he said. With the bishop present, "these guys have a feeling of not being left out. It gives them a sense of belonging to the wider church, that they matter to the church and that somebody in the church cares about them. They haven't been abandoned by the church."
When Bishop Ricken visits inmates on Holy Thursday, as part of that liturgy's ritual, he washes the feet of inmates. This gesture is a humbling experience for them, said Donovan. "I think it serves as an example, that if the bishop can come in and wash the feet of inmates, maybe that's one of the things that they need to take on in their lives — washing the feet of other people, of serving other people in the same way."
Following Mass, the inmates received Christmas cards made by children from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in De Pere. The cards were brought to the prison by Fr. Baraniak.
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