Broadcasting a message of hope in prisons

When times are tough – as they have been for us all over the past few months - it's important to hold onto hope. For many of us, as the social distancing measures are eased, our hope is being rewarded: we are seeing our friends and families and enjoying the freedoms of a ‘new normal’. But when you are separated from your loved ones by prison walls – when lockdown is the only normal - where do you find hope? 

Where do you find hope? This was the question we were asked to explore on National Prison Radio last weekend. As the Caritas agency working in the prison system, we had been invited to share a special message of hope to encourage the people who know best what ‘lockdown’ really means: prisoners.  

Archbishop John Wilson, Pact’s Vice President, provided one answer in a poignant reflection on the hope that can be found in faith. Recalling Jesus’ words, “Do not be afraid, I am with you always,” Archbishop Wilson spoke of “a hope that rises out of misery and of a desire for God coming from the rock bottom of pain and regret,” saying, “when we’re on our own, God is with us.” As the Catholic charity working to support prisoners and their families, Pact’s work is a direct expression of our desire to serve the Lord in those who are most vulnerable.

Archbishop Wilson’s special message of hope was broadcast alongside modern and traditional praise music, prayer and a reading from the Gospel. We were also privileged to share a powerful interview with a former prisoner returned to faith and a special recording by Roger McGough, one of Britain’s best-loved poets. (You might know him best as the current presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Poetry Please’!) McGough’s work, ‘Everything Touches’, which was inspired by his Catholic faith and originally commissioned as a modern hymn, was rewritten and set to music for Pact’s radio programme:

Let me breathe says the mountain

Set me free says the ocean

Keep me pure says the fountain

Let me be says the tree

Hand in hand everything touches

Everything touches LOVE touches me.

Pact’s message of hope has never been more important. As we look forward to easing lockdown in our communities, we must remember the people for whom lockdown will remain a daily reality. We must take time to reflect on how we, as individuals, as a Church and as a community, are serving those who so often find themselves on the margins of society. We encourage people of all faiths and none to hear our message of hope and join us in marking Prisoners’ Sunday: a day of prayer and action for prisoners and their families.

Prisoners’ Sunday – this year on 11 October – marks the start of the ecumenical Prisons Week, a national week of prayer and action to raise awareness of the issues faced by people affected by the criminal justice system.

Andy Keen-Downs has been Chief Executive of Pact (Prison Advice & Care Trust ) since 2005, and CEO of Pact Futures since 2016. ‘Where do you find hope?’ was broadcast on National Prison Radio on July 12. Find out more about Prisoners’ Sunday here.