It's the kind of news no prisoner wants to hear...
That of the death of a loved one. It starts with someone making a phone call to the prison the inmate is housed in to inform the staff that one of his loved ones has died.
Whenever this happens, a strict set of procedures has to be followed. One of which is that the chaplain on duty will have to summon the inmate to his office and break the news to him in private. It's not an easy thing to do, I'm sure.
As almost every incarcerated individual knows, whenever a man gets called to the chaplain's office unexpectedly, it's almost always for bad news.
In fact, it happened twice this week. My chaplain had to handle two death notices. One man lost his mother, while a second lost his daughter. For the first individual, his mom's passing was expected. She'd been battling cancer. While for the second man, the loss of his daughter was unexpected.
All they could do was cry in the chaplain's small office. I know my chaplain offered to pray for each one, if they allowed him to. I don't know for sure, as it was not my business to ask.
But what I do know is that ultimately each man will have to grieve in his own way. Each had to go back to his cell to deal with his own situation. Neither one was a part of our church's fellowship. But I did silently pray for their peace and comfort.
Who of us will be the next one to receive the dreaded call to report to the chaplain's office? Only God knows.
D.B.
Whenever this happens, a strict set of procedures has to be followed. One of which is that the chaplain on duty will have to summon the inmate to his office and break the news to him in private. It's not an easy thing to do, I'm sure.
As almost every incarcerated individual knows, whenever a man gets called to the chaplain's office unexpectedly, it's almost always for bad news.
In fact, it happened twice this week. My chaplain had to handle two death notices. One man lost his mother, while a second lost his daughter. For the first individual, his mom's passing was expected. She'd been battling cancer. While for the second man, the loss of his daughter was unexpected.
All they could do was cry in the chaplain's small office. I know my chaplain offered to pray for each one, if they allowed him to. I don't know for sure, as it was not my business to ask.
But what I do know is that ultimately each man will have to grieve in his own way. Each had to go back to his cell to deal with his own situation. Neither one was a part of our church's fellowship. But I did silently pray for their peace and comfort.
Who of us will be the next one to receive the dreaded call to report to the chaplain's office? Only God knows.
D.B.
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