. . . Skooter walked out the door that day carrying two plastic trash bags containing the sum total of his possessions. The mountain he must climb still has some peaks yet to be conquered. Prison rules allow for no further contact, by mail or otherwise, with anyone Skooter knew here. He is on his own. When Skooter got to the door, he put his bags down, turned and waved. We’ll remember Skooter’s smile for a long, long time. And his resolve to claw his way back from the abyss life brought him to, is simply unforgettable. Skooter is gone now, gone from our sight, but not from our souls. Let’s hope and pray the Lord has made for him a straighter, smoother path. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on September 29, 2010 · 9 comments
. . . The feast was originally called Michaelmas meaning, “The Mass of St. Michael.” The great prayer to Saint Michael, however, is
relatively new. It was penned on October 13, 1884, by Pope
Leo XIII after a terrifying vision of Saint Michael’s battle
with Satan. . . It’s an important prayer for the Church, especially now. I asked Suzanne to place a permanent image of Saint Michael on These Stone Walls as well.
I know the enemies of
the Church lurk here, too. There are some who come here not
for understanding, or the truth, but for ammunition. . . . I once scoffed at the notion
that evil surrounds us, but I have seen it. I think every
person falsely accused has seen it. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on July 21, 2010 · 8 comments
. . . The summer of 1969 had other worries and trials as well. Because of a tragedy in my family – which I will write about one of these days – I had to find a full time job at sixteen. I had one that I thought was secure. It was in a machine shop, but I was laid off just as that summer began. I took the only job that I could find, and it turned out to be the worst job of my life. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on February 10, 2010 · 12 comments
. . . Many of the younger prisoners are just lost. There’s a clear correlation between their presence here and the systemic breakdown of family – especially fatherhood – in our culture. There is an alarming number of young prisoners here who have had either abusive fathers or none at all. There is a direct and demonstrable correlation between the breakdown of family and the marked increase in prisoners in our society. . . . Anyone who is not alarmed by this statistic doesn’t understand the relationship between religious values, family life, crime, and the abandonment of young people to wander east of Eden. Among young men now in the New Hampshire prison system, the recidivism rate is a staggering 57 percent. . . .
