Sustained By Grace: A Prisoner’s Testimony
January 12, 2026
Grace and peace to all. I sincerely want to thank all the brothers and oblates of St. Benedict’s Abbey for their prayers over these past years. I have been an oblate now for 15 years and incarcerated for 21. On February 3, I finally get to go home. The journey has been arduous, but God has been with me the entire time, and I have made it through.
I want to encourage my oblate brothers to trust in the Lord and believe in His goodness. There were many times when negative things came my way. I had items stolen from me by inmates and guards. I had people threaten my life, both inmates and guards. I contracted scabies from the dirty living conditions. I have been hurt, spit on, belittled, and abused over these many years. The struggle has been difficult. There were many times when I prayed for death (even though it is sinful to do so), that God may take me and deliver me from the suffering and pain of this place. I was depressed and miserable so often. In those moments it seemed like God had forgotten about me, and I felt like I was on my own. Looking back now, though, I see how all of those situations made me stronger and caused me to trust in the Lord even more. To prevail through all of those situations without any physical scars or other ailments, I can only credit the Love of God.
With the bad times of incarceration, there are also many good times. I have had the opportunity to learn so much about my faith and be able to start Catechism classes and Bible studies at a few prisons. I have been able to help teach so many men about the Catholic faith and help be a tool for God to bring men to Him and understanding to the ignorant. I have been able to teach men academic skills and technical skills. I have been able to earn college degrees and educate myself on a variety of subjects through self-study and correspondence courses (DOC offered me nothing).
As I look back on these past 2 decades, I can’t help but see God there. Sure, coming to prison is a horrible thing, but it changed my life for the better in ways I could never have imagined. I am much more faithful, focused, and dedicated to heavenly things than to worldly things like I used to be. I do pray that in February I can keep that focus when I step back into the world (I’ve never used a smartphone or social media… they didn’t exist when I came to prison).
I ask my brothers and sisters in Christ to keep me in their prayers as I will keep them in mine. I hope and pray for the continued success of the Oblate program at St. Benedict’s. Thank you to all, and may God bless and keep you all.
Sincerely,
JTF, OblSB