August 10, 2025
“I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ~ Matthew 25:36 NRSV
I spent last Sunday visiting two friends on Death Row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, otherwise known as Angola Prison. It’s a long story how this all came to be, and I have not felt comfortable writing about it until now.
Here is the background. In late March 2024, I received a call from Linda, the Executive Director of the Charlotte Spirituality Center (CSC). I’ve known her since the fall of 2016, when I enrolled in the three-year program to become a Spiritual Director. She told me about a chance phone call she’d made to a woman she had seen on YouTube. The person on YouTube has been a Spiritual Advisor (or Spiritual Director, in non-prison speak) on Death Row since an encounter with Sister Helen Prejean, the woman portrayed in the movie Dead Man Walking. This woman mentioned that there were 56 men on death row in Angola, many of whom might want and could benefit from the presence of a Spiritual Advisor. Linda noted that some of the graduates of the CSC program might be interested in serving as Spiritual Advisors. That conversation marked the beginning of this ministry and led to my invitation to consider being a part of it.
As soon as Linda began talking about the program, I immediately felt drawn and compelled to participate. But I needed to know more. Linda told me that Spiritual Advisors are matched with persons incarcerated on Death Row. They make contact with the incarcerated person via the prison email system. If the incarcerated person wants to move forward in developing a relationship, they are invited to make a phone call with their potential Spiritual Advisor. Spiritual Advisors are willing to visit their Death Row person at least once a year, at their own expense. The one caveat is that Spiritual Advisors commit to being present with the person if or when they are executed. The need has become more urgent since Louisiana reinstituted executions in 2024. Spiritual Advisors would regularly be in contact with their person via email, phone calls, and occasional visits to Death Row, including in the event of an execution. I told her I needed to take time to pray about the invitation and discuss it with my spouse. I had a settled sense through prayer, my conversation with Rod, and a feeling that this was indeed part of my calling as a Spiritual Director.
Part of my decision is that if one of our sons or grandchildren were incarcerated, I would want someone like me to visit them with an open heart to see what God might be doing, even in prison. My choice is also influenced by an experience I had during a 30-day silent retreat focused on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. I enjoyed praying outdoors while following the Stations of the Cross. The station I was most drawn to and spent the most time with was the one where Jesus is on the cross, and his mother, along with some of the other women and at least one disciple, watches and waits near the cross, not abandoning Jesus despite its horror.
As a Spiritual Advisor, I have learned more about justice issues involved in our prison systems, as well as the reality of life on death row. I have come to see a different side of people who have been convicted of the most serious crimes, many of which were committed when they were young adults, still developing their brains. My friends have been on Death Row for 17 and 23 years, respectively. Just like me, they are not just the people they were when they were young. They are more than their crimes, just as I am more than a four-year starter for Penn State Field Hockey. We are all made in the image of God, children of God, and as such, worthy of being treated with dignity. I have learned much from them, catching glimpses of grace in the most unlikely of circumstances.
I am ready to share these experiences with you. They have little to do with me, and a whole lot to do with God and my friends. Sharing is what love and justice require of me. ~ Anne
Waiting to enter Angola Prison on August 3, 2025, with another Spiritual Advisor
Wayfinding 