I have been ministering to Natives in the local prison, juvenile detention center, and rehabilitation center the last few years. I'm pretty sure every single kid I've worked with in the juvie, their father was not in their life, or their father died, or they're an abusive father. So, that's some serious trauma. These poor kiddos, they're just looking for a dad.
One of the first kids I started working with, I'm still working with him now, he got the maximum juvie sentence, which is nine years. So this young person committed a very serious crime. This kid comes from a family that is just really in pieces. He started doing drugs when he was seven years old. No one ever made him go to school. He joined a gang very young and what happens when someone joins a gang? Crimes are committed, and sometimes very bad crimes.
I remember first meeting him and he was really bottled up. He would not respond to anything that I read in the Bible. At first, we would go through the Bible and he was very reluctant to read. He would whisper it, and I just kept encouraging him. I was thinking, “This kid is going to be tough.”
I noticed that he didn’t have many skills with grammar. So I started reading a novel with him, and I saw him light up as he read. And he got a lot better just reading. I realized my ability to be this father figure and just love the heck out of this kid.
After the first couple months, I noticed something opened him up, and I finally got him to the point where he would talk to me. And then I finally got him to a point where I could tell him, “God can forgive you. God's mercy is so much bigger than any sin.”
And after a couple months, he one day said, “What do I have to do to become Catholic?” And I was like, “What? You serious kid? This is amazing!” and I was like, “You are talking to the right person. We can make it happen.”
A few months ago, Fr. Antony celebrated a Mass at the juvie where this young man was brought into the Catholic Church! We got him a picture of Our Lady as a gift for the occasion.
But the Lord didn’t stop there, and the faith of this young man has impacted his family. Because of his conversion in juvie, his mom who had been struggling with addiction got sober, decided to become Catholic, and get her marriage blessed in the church! The week of her wedding, she received reconciliation, confirmation, and first communion. To say that her marriage was a joyous day is an understatement!
Because of the generosity of supporters like you, Br. Andre doesn’t have to worry about money for gas to drive to Sacaton to visit the juvie, or money for a picture of Our Lady, or money for novels to read with this young man. Br. Andre is just able to focus on being a father figure to these young adults because his needs are provided for, thanks to you! Please continue to pray for Br. Andre as he continues to be in and out of the hospital with health struggles.