Fr. Dismas Turinawe, OFM is the
Guardian of the Novitiate in Kakoba, Uganda, where I live. He is a
member of The Province of St. Francis in East Africa. His personal
project is to visit those imprisoned at the three prisons in the
Mbarara area. Myself and two novices
accompanied him last Saturday on a visit to one prison in Kakkia (sp?). He
makes two trips a week and brings different novices with him each
time. It is part of their ministry experience of the Novitiate. He
celebrated Mass for about 30 inmates. He also has helped with the
inmates school fees but the resource for the money has dried up and
it is not possible at this time. He is able to provided medicine when
he can. More on that later.
The conditions in the prison are very
primitive. There are only dirt floors and concrete walls. The place
looks run-down but the men appear neatly dressed and clean in their
bright yellow uniform shirts and shorts. Pants are also available
but since it was a warm day most of the inmates were in shorts. The
cloth also has a black pin stripe about a foot or so apart. It was
meal time when we arrived so we had time to observe the main and only
meal of the day. The inmates eat once a day. They were given a large
bowl of maize (corn meal) which is cooked to a solid (sort of like
mashed potatoes but thicker in consistency) and a large portion of
cooked red beans. I saw many of the men walk back to their living
areas with uneaten food. This was to be consumed later, or so I was
told by the Novices. The Novices also informed me about the life in
prison. The inmates work very hard in fields doing farm work and
other manual labor. Individuals hire out the inmates through the
government. The government is paid for this work but the inmates do
not get paid. Their medical care is through another inmate who also
is a nurse. If treatment or care is required the inmates are
provided with this. Families are sometimes required to pay for any
treatment received. Medication is not always provided and if the
inmate does not have family they go without. That is why Fr. Dismas
has added this to him ministry when funds allow.
I was struck with the attitude of the
men I observed. They were polite and grateful for our presence. The
worship space was a porch of a building that was about four feet wide
and thirty feet long. It faced the main courtyard that lead to the
“Kitchen” area and where the inmates obtained their food for the
day. Despite the noise of men getting their food and the cramped
conditions of the worship space the inmates were focused and
participated fully in the Mass. My impressions of these inmates is
not unlike my impression of inmates that I have worked with in the
US. I guess the effects of incarceration, regardless of the
environment, conditions and situation, are universal. In times of
trouble men turn to their faith for consolation and a feeling of
normalcy. One of the corporal works of mercy is to visit the
imprisoned. I recognize you may not be in a position to do so but
during this Lent please say a prayer for all people, Men and women,
throughout the worldo who are in prison. Peace and all good. ODE
tim
