Pace e Bene

Franciscan priest and Pace e Bene staff member Friar Louis Vitale, 77, began serving a six-month prison sentence on Monday, January 25 for nonviolent, prayerful protest calling for closure of the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia. On February 25 he was transferred from Crisp County Jail in Cordele, Georgia (where he spent his first  month after being processed briefly at Muscogee County Jail), to the US Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. He has since been moved to Oklahoma City.  Click here to see the series of letters from Louie we at Pace e Bene have received or gathered.

Lenten Practices

Ever since our bus drove into the formidable US Penitentiary Atlanta in mid-Lent (February 25), I have been fascinated with being a penitent in the penitentiary – even though we are only in the “holdover satellite.”  I was absorbed in spending Lent in Crisp County jail where I had an extraordinary Lent in 2006.  I was somewhat disturbed at the move.  At seeing the penitentiary sign, it seemed it might be my destiny to be here at this time. 

My Primitive Baptist cellmate, Rick, refers to it as “predestination” on both our parts.  Our time here – 23 hours daily in the cell, interspersed with a good amount of Bible talk, reading, reflection, even though we have quite different starting points, interpretations and viewpoints.    I even shared with him from the San Francisco Catholic (February 26) a current piece on the pope’s message for Lent urging penitence and deep conversion.  I also read the popular spiritual writer Fr. Rolheiser’s article: “Lenten Fasting and Praying in Secret.”  It seemed very a propos for me.

Surely the two words — penitent and penitentiary — are related, as are penal system, penance, penalty

The pope notes, “Lent is a long retreat during which people can return inside themselves and listen to the voice of God… a time of spiritual training in an effort to live more closely with Jesus through prayerful reflection and penitential practices… As Jesus did in the desert.”  “Conversion means to change the direction in one’s life and journey…by an authentic about-face with the grace of God.”  “Paul reminds people ‘that God is calling everyone to penance (metanoia) and spiritual renewal every day.” 

When ashes are imposed on Ash Wednesday we are called to “turn from sin and live faithful to the Gospel.”  “Christ who offers humanity the way, the truth and the life… a grace that gives peace and strength to do good, to love even those who have offended us.”  Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”).

Fr. Ron Rolheiser (an Oblate seminary president) in his article refers to “the philosopher David Hume, who distinguishes genuine virtues – useful to self and others – and “monkish virtues,” qualities that do not enhance human life, such as celibacy, fasting, penance, mortification, self-denial, humility, silence, solitude.”  These detract from human welfare and they are excluded from health and human community.”

Rolheiser notes that this sounds a healthy warning that reminds us of Jesus’ saying to fast in secret and to pray in secret, not to put on gloomy faces… “When we are practicing asceticism, make sure our piety is not too evident in public. “What others easily read is lack of health and lack of joy… this is exactly the opposite of what we should be radiating.” 

Monkish virtues are real virtues…if healthy.  They should radiate health, joy, peace, ands calm … love for the world and life. Fr. Rolheiser affirms, “The monkish virtues are more needed than ever.  But they must be real ands radiate a health that witnesses to God’s goodness.”  This is exactly what I see in those who practice “monkish virtues” in a healthy way…so that the face we show in public will radiate healthy joy, calm, peace and love for the good things that God has made.

I had difficulty in presenting this topic of a penitent in a penitentiary.  I am not clear where the word “penitentiary” comes from.  Surely the two words are related, as are penal system, penance, penalty. 

I searched for a dictionary in the Law library here to look up “penitentiary” to find its root.  I was informed by an inmate this was not possible; if there was one it would have been stolen.  Breece – a new friend of mine here – countered, “Thieves, here?”  He, by his own admission, committed 29 armed bank robberies; the statute of limitations lowered it officially to six.  He got six times “25 to life” – 150 years to life.  He laughs!!  “The world will end soon.”  He is an ardent Seventh Day Adventist.

Until I am able to do more research I shall presume that “penitentiary” has something to do with prisoners coming as penitents – and I will pursue my Lenten practices here.

I then searched for understanding of penitents at least in the Christian sense.  My research being one copy of the San Francisco Catholic and a couple of Bibles (Good News, N.I.V., King James).  So I used the two references, the more classical view of Pope Benedict XVI, and the contemporary view expressed by Fr. Rolheiser.  They do offer me challenges being here and being “in transit,” and it is enough.  Surely the encouragement to follow Gospel of Jesus is the bedrock of our cell with my Baptist friend – but our conclusions vary. 

For me – and a friar mentor/scholar Joseph Chinnici — Jesus’ message (as with St. Francis) is all about peace.  For my cellmate the Gospel message is all about sin.  A-bombs and prisons are some of God’s ways of establishing peace!  For me, of course, the pursuit of peace leaps out of Benedict and the church’s liturgy, the scriptures, and even “monkish virtues” of repentance.  In fact, that is exactly why I am here and I rejoice in the favor of being found worthy.

I recall the Abu Ghraib survivor I met in the summer of 2006 in Jordan who embraced me when he heard I had just finished six months in prison for protesting their torture.  (Initially he did not even want to meet me because I was an American.) 

I recently received a letter from Paul Moses, the author of the recent book on St. Francis of Assisi entitled The Saint and The Sultan (Doubleday, 2009).  Ken Butigan had sent me a copy of this book, which strongly emphasizes Francis’s primary calling as peacemaker, as seen in numerous incidents in his life, and notably in his determination in 1220 to meet with the Sultan Malik al-Kamil and Catholic church leaders to end the hellish Fifth Crusade.

In his letter Paul Moses explained that he saw online that I had read his book.  He affirmed my path of pursuing peace as a follower of Francis: “You remind us that the cause of peace is alive, whether in the headlines or not – in the hearts of people who witness to it.”

There is ample time to reflect here.  Even though there is a TV right outside our room (not visible) and it is usually noisy, there is a solitude within the cell that is Lenten.  Even at this minimum level there is a loss of freedom – especially of movement.  Restrictions on phone calls, visits, movement, etc. are some mortification.  But as Rick and I discuss, nothing compares to what the poor and disadvantaged of the world experience – not to mention those who suffer in the secret prisons of torture and hellish conditions. We are aware that we are still among the privileged of the world.  This keeps us humble. 

Yes, it is just a humble effort at metanoia (conversion), but that will only end with the final breath.  Meanwhile I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect on the violence of the lives of some 2000 men here in this penitentiary.  Violence they have committed and the violence done to them and their families by the prison system.  Once again I am able to carry that to my prayer in my cell, especially during the night, and hand it over to God. 

Lent is also a special time to follow the pursuit of peace, to discern the path in which the Spirit leads me and each of us until we arrive at the “Peaceable Kingdom” that Isaiah prophesized and that Jesus came to deliver.

I am so grateful for the great support I experience from s many, and the powerful prayers as we move toward the joy of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and “Pentecost in the Penitentiary.” 

With deep gratitude and Jesus’ love –

Louie