SPECIAL TIME WITH THE JUVENILE KIDS
by Ralph Fernan

Every Sunday morning we would start our day by celebrating mass with the kids inside a gymnasium at the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. The gym is a far cry from the regular church that I go to with the ornate decorations, marble floors, sturdy wooden pews and colorful stained glass windows. Here instead were decorations, put up by the volunteers, which consisted mostly of two or three simple holy images in cloth or paper. A ten foot cross made up of unpainted two by foors and draped with white cloth. A collapsible table also covered with white cloth to serve as an altar. Nothing fancy. But for the hundred or so kids that pile in the gym every Sunday it was an appropriate enough place for them to pray, to hopefully reconcile with God and most importantly, to have their highest form of worship. The kids sit in plastic chairs throughout the whole ceremony. Constantly watched and reminded by the staff to sit up and look straight. The only occassion that they are allowed to bow their heads down is after they recieve the Eucharist or when after the priest would say the words, "Let us pray". It is always at this time that I would watch in awe as they bow their heads down in unison to pray for themselves and their situation. You could almost hear their prayers in the silence. It is also at this point that I grow in my conviction to this outreach ministry. I truly come to realize and affirm that this is where God wants me to be at this particular moment and time.

After the mass, after the kids had been led back into their respective units, we would subsequently go and visit them according to where we are assigned. Everytime, before I see the kids, I would pray that God would be there for me so that He will tell me what to say to the kids that I will be seeing. I always expect to see a different group of kids every week. Some of them would be in there for their first time and would be all depressed and scared. There would be those who had been in and out of Juvy hall repeatedly. So it is hard to think about what to say to a group until you actually see them sitting right in front of you. We are instructed though not to preach or be judgmental in what we say. Rightly so, because we should be aware that they have already been judged and they get enough of that kind of talk from their probation officer. If they had gone to the service that day I would ask them if they would like to talk about the gospel reading for that particular Sunday or ask them about their faith and where they are with their faith. Not all of them would like to talk, especially in a relatively big group. And sometimes they just do not like to talk about God or religion. There are times when you do not have to say anything and you can just be there and listen to them and their individual concerns. One time I had a group where all they wanted to talk about was gang life and the violent activities they were involved. How they could not change, because even when they get out they would always be in a gang environment. One time I had a kid who said that he was on his way to changing his life when he got into trouble again, not by his own fault but because he was under probation. He was presumably judged right away and brought back to juvy. One kid who said that he could not help but steal so that he could have his own money to spend. But because he had been caught for the second time his father did not want to visit him in Juvy anymore. At least two kids who were probably not over seventeen years old had kids of their own that they had left to their parents care while they spend time in jail. After about an hour with them and before our meeting ends, we always come together in prayer. Sometimes an individual would ask for a one on one prayer with him. This is usually from someone who has been quiet for the whole time during our meeting. I tend to identify with these kinds of kids more, maybe because of my own personal nature but I also feel that they are the ones that God wants me to give special attention to in my prayers. Special prayers are also said for the ones who are scheduled an appointment with the judge in the next couple of days to decide their fate.

All in all, every week I would see young kids, who come from different backgrounds who is in there for different reasons (either a misdemeanor or a felony) but they all seem to be looking for one common thing whether they are aware of it or not. They are all looking for help. Help, in changing their ways. Help to find answers. Help, in their situations. Help in understanding them when their own parents cannot. A lot of times I feel that I am in over my head with this ministr. I feel I need more wisdom and knowledge to help them in the trouble that they are in. I cannot help but feel the need to extend myself more to them beyond the one hour that I have with them and that the least that I could do was to pray for them. In the end, I do realize though that it is not about what I can do but rather, what God can do for them. There truly was nothing I could do except be there for them and tell them that God is the only One who could truly help them. That in knowing God, they would be healed of their suffering. And maybe in their healing, I too am healed and grow in my faith. And as a Christian, I should realize also that praying for them was not the least that I could do, but it should be the very first thing I should always do for them.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Prayer Meeting every Saturday at 7:30 pm, Incarnation Catholic Church Auditorium, Glendale, CA
•ENCOUNTER THE SPIRIT WEEKEND on October 27 and 28, 2007. For more information, please click here

LINKS

• The World Seen From Rome
www.zenit.org
• Southern California Renewal Communities
www.scrc.org
• Incarnation Catholic Church www.incaglendale.org
• "Take up your cross & follow Me."-Lk 9:23
www.crossdaily.com
• Daily Word of Life
www.daily-word-of-life.com