 Br. MikeO'Grady, S.J., Prisoner of Conscience |
School of the Americas |
Letter from Mike O'Grady to Mother of Christ Parish
December 25, 2003
Christmas Day, 2003
To The Faith Community of Mother of Christ Church
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued kind notes, prayers, and strong words of encouragement. In the five short weeks I've been inside here, I have been deeply impacted by the men and the circumstances I've encountered as part of our Christian witness action. I know we are connected by the spirit of Christ even from the distance we're apart. This is a sustaining element for me.
Please know that I am in good, consoled space following a dark three week long thicket of deep desolation, fear, and unsettledness. Today as I write, I am accompanied by the good spirit of peace, interior calm, and encouragement. It is a lesson I need to constantly relearn—that God gives us nothing we can't handle with his support and guidance.
Please pray for our men inside here & in our jails/prisons, so many who are deeply wounded by addiction, violence, and a host of personal and societal ills. Their brokenness is almost overwhelming. This place is where they get dumped, warehoused, and where their spirits founder and fail. I pray to God for them and I pray to understand their reality, and how best to respond when I am back in Cincinnati —at home at M.O.C. and in South Cumminsville .
Your brother in Christ,
Mike
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