Prison ministry volunteers from St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville were at the Iredell County Detention Center as a dozen men came into the Church. (Photo provided)STATESVILLE — Holy Saturday marked a new beginning for 12 men who are inmates at the Iredell County Detention Center as they were received into the Catholic Church.
It was the first time Catholic sacraments of initiation had been held at the jail, and it came about because of prison ministry volunteers from St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Statesville.
Father Bernard Oleru, St. Philip’s pastor, visited the detention center April 4 to administer the baptisms, first Holy Communions and confirmations for the dozen men who had completed an abbreviated version of the OCIA program, the process by which adults are initiated into the Church.
“It was a truly uplifting experience,” said Greg Nikiel, who along with fellow parishioner John Moloney helped launch the prison ministry program a year ago. Before he moved to nearby
Troutman in 2024, the retired fireman had been active in prison ministry in Buffalo, New York, and wanted to get involved with a similar ministry in his new home community.
Moloney said the ministry was sparked by a conversation with Nikiel and others at a Tuesday night men’s Bible study.
“A few of the men asked themselves when I actually break out of my ‘Holy Huddles’ of my Bible study groups and my Cursillo Group reunion and actually go and meet with Jesus one on one in the jail or at the nursing home,” Moloney said.
Motivated by that question, Nikiel, Moloney and other volunteers visited the detention center to begin the process of background checks and other steps they needed to take to start a ministry to inmates. Seven men and seven women from the Statesville parish completed the process and launched the ministry.
The volunteers usually visit the inmates once a week, offering Scripture study and the OCIA program. They were also able to distribute ashes to inmates on Ash Wednesday, and Father Oleru has made visits to the facility.
“The ministers share so many stories of how the inmates have touched their lives, broken their hearts, brought them to new spiritual highs,” Moloney said.
“The inmates and staff have been blown away with the joy and the grace that Father Bernard has shared on his visits … and the staff has often stopped us and thanked on the work we’re doing. They will share that they can feel and see the incredible works that are occurring in the various cell blocks and pods through this ministry.”
This first year brought joyful results at Easter, when the men were initiated into the Church by Father Oleru as their fellow inmates cheered, Nikiel said.
"It was an amazing experience, something I have never had before in my 19 years as a priest," Father Oleru said. "Seeing these people being able to receive Christ, to come to Christ in the midst of their distress and being welcomed into the Catholic Church – their joy was so overwhelming to me."
At the same time, four female volunteers joined in prayer and fellowship with a group in the women’s dormitory. Father Oleru also was permitted to offer a prayer and blessing there, an event that was special because men aren’t typically allowed in the women’s section.
Father Oleru’s visit originally was planned as a video call because of this restriction, so his in-person prayer for the women was also a first for the jail, Nikiel said.
Building on these notable firsts, future plans for the prison ministry call for working with inmates after their release. Volunteers are putting together a program called “RE-ENTRY” that will help women and men find housing, create resumés and find employment after their release, Moloney said.
— Christina Lee Knauss