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Monday, 07 May 2018 00:00

Encounters - Here's the man

M. was busy filling the application form for obtaining the necessary things for personal hygiene and dress, distributed weekly to the prisoners by a Voluntary Association of Prison ministry where I too render my service.

Looking with the clinical eye of a retired teacher it came spontaneously to me to watch him writing and I observed:
«What a beautiful writing!  Off this present world of yours, what is your profession?».

«Robber… I have always been a robber».

Thinking of one of Toto's films, I commented with a smile:
«What a lovely profession!... Compliments!»

A certain empathy was created among us. He said: «Look at my hands… these cannot be but hands of a robber!». And then snapped: «Well, Madam, I need to work... I have three children already and the fourth one is expected».

Yes… the apparent shell of the role (of a detained robber) is ruptured  and there came forth the man, my brother.

And I asked him: «Well, you will not teach your children to rob, right?».

Roused by the question he retorted: «Never! children should never be used! It’s my duty to work… You know, when it comes to an older person, I go back… the elderly ones are not to be touched!»

Then I said jokingly: «That means I don’t have to worry, right?»

«Why would you? I should just raise a monument to you, for all the good that you do for us! May the Lord reward you!»
Read 941 times Last modified on Wednesday, 06 June 2018 10:28

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About Us

Union “St. Catherine of Siena” of School Missionaries is a Dominican Religious Congregation.
We are called to accompany our contemporaries along their path with study and prayer and to seek along with them Gospel’s answers to the questions of our complex, multicultural society.
We want to live therefore coherently a Christianity of frontiers and be yeast and salt of the least visibility yet cause to leaven and give flavor.