Bill Donohue recommended your blog in the CATALYST. I felt compelled to share about the connection between the lack of fathers and juvenile delinquency. I taught in a juvenile facility for 36 years.

In the early 2000’s, I read of a study that stated 85% of juveniles in one institution were from single parent homes. You are so right in emphasizing the value of fathers and the negative effect such a lack has on young people.

You are added to my list of priests for whom I pray. ( And, your name is definitely easy to remember.)

May the Holy Spirit comfort and sustain you.

I wish I had had back then your own “…East of Eden” adaptation to include in our studies to show students how true sincerity, anguish, and poignance can lend power and authenticity to creative works.

And your writing would have stood up well against Steinbeck’s in its clarity, depth, and power. Keep up the great work, Gordon, and publish these pieces soon upon your release. They’re potent, illuminating, and profound. — David Cobb

The experience has converted me into a friend of accused priests either innocent or guilty, especially the guilty ones. Why? Because the innocent ones have at least God and their conscience for them, and that comfort them greatly.

But the guilty ones deserve most commiseration, because as priests few of them are deprave characters, most have only sinned as fragile humans, and have since made penance by years of exemplar ministry.

Recently my former parishioners and their current pastor have sent me 1700 dollars to express their sympathy toward an old priest unjustly cast into a cesspool for seven months. To thank God and my faithful friends, I have decided to send the whole money to OBSacerdotii, so accused priests can still feel themselves beloved by the Church, in this year dedicated to Catholic priests by Pope Benedict XVI the Holy Father.

Fr MacRae’s postings from his prison are revealing the lives of those inside to us on the outside and making us more sensitive in our thoughts towards those who have lost their freedom for whatever reason. Every person does indeed have human dignity and we must not forget this.

Thank you for the magnificent post. What stays with me in this post is the underlying theological reflection that EVERY PERSON has a great human dignity!

Too often people are insensitive to prisoners, keeping their understanding to “serves them right”, without comprehending that really, many many of these people in prison are individuals who made bad choices for whatever reason.

They are still fathers, uncles, sons, etc… We should never forget what Jesus said, “I was a prisoner and you visited me”. You bring these words of Jesus to life, Fr. Gordon.

May His peace visit you abundantly

your brother in the priesthood

P.S. and… the artwork is absolutely beautiful. A sign of God’s presence manifested in beauty!

God lives in each of us and I really think that for those who have, to paraphrase Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, gotten to the far side of the superficial concerns that distract us, to the pith of their lives, He shines out for others to see.

I wonder if prison doesn’t force men and women to make that painful journey that the rest of us fear so much.

At any rate, you are right about the causes of our breathtaking crime rate. The family is being methodically destroyed, because people without close families are weaker and more vulnerable to being controlled by those who would rule them.

By the way, your writing is your art, and it is awesome!

God bless and keep you all,
Kathy

Such beautiful woodwork, paintings and exquisitely detailed model ships. Man at his best.
I think your point re the importance of fathers is so true. In fact being a good mother and father helps bring peace to the world.

So many adults spend much of their life looking for a mother or father figure to fill the emptiness of never having had one in their lives and they are not even aware of it and can end up having difficulty maintaining friendships and making a wise marriage choice.

Spiritual fathers are also very important and I know I am not alone in appreciating your insights and your example of faith, hope and charity.

Pornchai’s ships are especially labor intensive, and every detail is perfect. The work of all of the artists appears to have been done with a lot of love. As an animal lover, I am especially touched by the wolves done by Scott.

He has captured the very essence of wolves, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is a work of art and not an actual photograph of a wolf family. I want to reach out to touch their fur.

And Scott’s art is so real that I know exactly how it would feel to touch their fur. What an artist! Thank you, Fr. Gordon, for sharing the talent around you. They are blessed to have you in their company. May you continue to shepherd them.