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.

Unexpected Phone Call

This morning, Monday, March 22, I received a phone call from Friar Louie.  It was wonderful to hear his voice for the first time in two months! 

He told me that last Wednesday (March 17) he was flown from the US Penitentiary in Atlanta to a prison facility at the Oklahoma City airport.  Literally on the airport grounds, it is a seven-story building holding approximately 100 inmates, with two-person cells that are open most of the day.  (They are locked down at count – at 4 p.m. in the afternoon – and at night.)  He assumes that he is on his way to the federal prison in Lompoc, California (he had been told that some time ago by a US marshal) but he does not know that for sure.  He may be sent out of Oklahoma City at any moment; on the other hand, he may be there for some time. 

Louie’s spiritual repertoire has always included a “theology of conversation” – a theological method he has been practicing behind bars

He tells me that the chaplain brought him some reading material, including a booklet of Lenten reflections.  In one of them, he read that one of the ways we live the spiritual life is through conversation with others.  This spoke to Louie deeply.  Reminiscent of Thomas Merton’s Vow of Conversation (his volume of journals from 1964-1965), Louie’s spiritual repertoire has always included a “theology of conversation” – a theological method, he tells me, that he has been practicing assiduously behind bars.  He says he has had numerous conversations all along the way, even over the course of his few days in Oklahoma.

I asked him if it made sense to put out the Oklahoma City address to people who want to write to him.  He said that we should hold off for a few days to see if he is going to stay put; he said he could try calling back in a couple of days if this is the case.

I was touched by how vibrant and solid he sounded.  I shared how, for me, his writing has been such a gift – detailed, reflective, and vivid.  I also let him know that many people are keeping him in their thoughts and prayers.

And then, suddenly, mid-sentence, the call ended.  He had warned me ahead of time that this would likely happen.

Once we learn Louie’s new address, we will post it on the Pace e Bene Updates. 

Ken Butigan, Pace e Bene