The following comes from a Mar. 19 story in Catholic San Francisco.
A San Quentin prisoner sentenced to life for his role in a double murder when he was just 17 was one of four inmates confirmed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone Sunday, March 9, at the prison chapel.
In an interview with Catholic San Francisco following the Mass where he and three other men were confirmed and a fifth received first Communion, Kent Wimberly, 52, talked about coming to faith in a prison environment and finding what he’d been looking for where he least expected it – inside the doors of the Catholic Church. His Catholic sponsor, John Grein, 54, a fellow inmate who is also serving a life sentence for murder, joined him for the conversation in the chapel library.
Both men come from Protestant faith communities. Asked what drew them to the Roman Catholic Church, the pair answered in near-unison: “the Eucharist.”
“I always felt there was so much more to Communion than a purely symbolic gesture,” said Wimberly, who was raised in a Bible-reading, churchgoing Protestant home in San Diego.
Grein grew up Catholic and became an ordained Protestant minister in prison. He returned to the Catholic Church 10 years ago.
The Eucharist “doesn’t just represent the body and blood of Christ,” he said. “It is the body and blood of Christ.”
In 2005, 26 years after Wimberly’s conviction for participating in the murder of his best friend’s parents, he said he experienced the assurance of God’s love for the first time while on a Kairos prison ministry retreat at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. He admits that what he had most wanted from the retreat at the time was the attendance certificate that could improve his chance of parole. He got the certificate and more.
A Zen Buddhist at the time, Wimberly was nonetheless open to the possibility of an encounter with God.
He recalled sitting motionless with his eyes closed and asking God to reveal himself if he was “for real.” He said he sensed a tiny dot of light near him grow larger and brighter until, he said, “it filled me up so much I literally thought I was about to die.”
“The way I see it, I received a pinhole vision of heaven,” Wimberly said. “I met Christ that day.”
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A few years ago I was invited to offer Mass at a prison. A young man who was very polite and pious served the Mass. Afterwards he spoke to me about the Carmelite sisters whom he wrote to frequently. As I was leaving the prison facilities I asked the main guard why the man was in jail. He replied that he had murdered his parents and his siblings. No matter how grave the sin may be, it can be forgiven if we return to God with contrite hearts, and receive the absolution and graces from the sacrament of Penance. Our Savior gave us this tremendous gift, and it is a shame how little it is used today, especially when the need is so great. God is always ready to forgive us; all we have to do is to swallow our pride, admit our sin, promise not to do it again, and then confess the sin to a priest. We are then forgiven, and we are washed clean by this beautiful sacrament, which is a sign of Our Lord’s love and mercy.
Beautiful comments Father Karl, thank you! A few years ago a young student who attended Mater Dei High school paid his best friend (who also attended Mater Dei) to kill his mother and his father. It was reported that several of the students from Mater Dei were also aware of the plot but NOT one student came forward in order to prevent it. I found that astonishing that so many in a Catholic high school knew yet they remained completely silent. This should have never taken place in a Catholic school where hearts and minds have the open capacity to be daily taught by parents and schools to love and learn about God’s mercy and avoiding sin. The young man who committed the murders was convicted and sent to prison. He was the son of a doctor and also an eagle scout. He ended up committing suicide in prison and the friend who hired him was eventually convicted for masterminding his parents murders. At that time I wrote a letter and sent the local newspaper article to the Vatican asking for assistance in returning our Catholic schools to their once fine reputations for truly instilling morals and values. Something is terribly amiss when so many students can know about such a plot and remain quiet. We know that sports programs are highly prized and valued but how about the priceless value of the souls of these students that chose to participate in such evil. The young man who committed the murders of his best friend’s parents committed suicide because he thought that he would not be forgiven by God. Our young students need and deserve to be taught “all” of the important truths about our Catholic faith. Especially, like you said Father Karl about God’s love and unfathomable ocean of Divine Mercy.
Dear Father Karl,
Thank you so much for your sacrifice and for your priesthood. May God bless and keep you!
Not surprisingly no mention of the details of the crime or how the surviving family members are doing . I hope he never gets released , he can be an example of Catholic manhood by doing his time in humility , he should embrace this penance in gratitude that he was sentenced to life and not death which was an act of mercy ( one his victims did not receive) . Wonderful that he has come into the church , I am more concerned with the family and loved ones of the victims , he was given a life sentence he should serve life .
That young man @17 was in need of healing , not prison…..
And society was in need of protection , at 17 he knows right from wrong and is old enough to pay for his crime . The victims families and loved one’s deserve our sympathy , I pray for their healing , think of his sentence as his “healing” . If this had been someone you loved would you feel the same ?, that Jerry Brown is reluctant should tell you something , remember Rose Bird ? . His sentence of life and by that I mean LIFE is a just punishment , his victims received no consideration at all , dwell on it and pray for their souls and loved ones, they are due justice and consideration more then he is.
As proven by this man, 17 year olds can be just a dangerous to society as someone 37. It sounds like he has already made peace with God.
He still has to pay the civil penalty, as part of his penance.
“Thou shall not Kill.” God’s commandment does NOT state – Only Adults shall not kill.
Not all 17 year old’s needing healing murder their best friends parents or murder at all. His prison time actually has worked out for the best for him. He is now a Catholic and understanding what he has done. May he continue to depend on God for more growth, love etc.
jenny, did you read the article? He found healing precisely because he was imprisoned. If you understood human nature, you would realize that had he been given only a “compassionate” slap on the wrist, because he was seventeen when he committed the premeditated murders, the likelihood that he would have found healing would be quite virtually unlikely.
One can only hope that this is an authentic conversion. But experience teaches us that too many parolees go on to commit further acts of violence soon after release from prison. How long have these convicted murderers been incarcerated?
Potentially like the good theif who died next to Jesus on the cross.
If anyone has any extra funds, providing “Catholic Bibles” and copies of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” to prisons would be a work of mercy. God bless Abp Cordileone and those with prison ministries.
” The Eucharist “doesn’t just represent the body and blood of Christ,” he said. “It is the body and blood of Christ”. ” – This says it all.
Priests should preach this from every pulpit. Our reason for being Catholic.
The God of second chances is available to all. Prisons can be houses of horror or houses of healing
I have worked as a prison guard for 25 years and can tell you that many of the inmates use any faith as protection from the rest of the population. With that being said not many where I have worked return the Catholic Faith let alone come to the one true church. Most as in the outside world find interest in Protestantism again for protection from the others. Most who are Catholic are not even offered the resources to follow the faith even luke warm such as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sad.
More for SF Archbishop to promote about himself.
Do not critize a Diocese Bishop when he is doing his job.
He is responsible for all the Catholic Souls within his own Diocese, not just some of them.
Anonymous, – when a Diocese Bishop is doing his job, snide comments are only not appreciated but evil.
MAC thank you. I agree. Its like you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. There is no pleasing some people. They just tear you up till you have nothing. Always being suspicious of good, also says something about themselves.
” Anonymous Catholic” – I doubt it.
Anonymous – yes. Catholic – no.
Taken from the book The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis:
“Therefore, humbly pray to God. that in His merciful goodness He will give you the spirit of penance, and in the words of the Prophet say to Him: Feed me, O Lord, “with the bread of tears” and give me “tears to drink beyond measure” (Psalm 80:5)
Father Bill Casey speaks about sin in this video. About Christ’s mercy to those who repent and surrender completely themselves to our Lord, trusting and leaning on His divine mercy: