wfn.org | Sing Sing seminarians seek redemption

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Note #6493 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

20-April-2001
01135

Sing Sing seminarians seek redemption

PC(USA) moderator's tour group finds itself "up the river"

by Evan Silverstein

OSSINING, NY - Norris McLaurin, a prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional
Facility, had a spiritual awakening.

"It was a connection I was able to make with God," said McLaurin, a North
Carolinian who attends seminary - believe it or not - at the legendary
maximum-security prison about 35 miles "up the river" from New York City.
"For me, that's the most significant change I could make."

McLaurin and his personal spirituality have been raised to new heights by
the accredited master's degree program offered inside the tower-guarded
walls by independent New York Theological Seminary. McLaurin was one of 16
inmates hand-selected this academic year for the intense 10-month course
that aims to rehabilitate criminals and prepare them for eventual careers as
assistant chaplains or counselors.

"I now see myself as an individual who can function in society," said
McLaurin, who is on schedule to graduate in June with a Master of
Professional Studies (MPS). "I believe life has brought me to a crossroads.
It's unfortunate that I had to come to prison to reach that crossroads, but
the important thing is that I reached it."

McLaurin's personal transformation and the spiritual journeys of other
inmates in the seminary program were the chief topics of conversation during
an April 4 visit by the Rev. Syngman Rhee, moderator of the Presbyterian
Church (USA) General Assembly.

Rhee, accompanied by vice moderator Rebecca McElroy and three national
PC(USA) staff members, toured the all-male state penitentiary, learning
about worship behind bars and hearing how the 19-year-old seminary program
continues to help prisoners rediscover themselves through God.

A number of these untraditional seminarians described how the program has
enabled them to come to grips with their crimes, gain a deeper understanding
of their faith and seek redemption.

"I feel quite fortunate to have been accepted to this program," said
Francisco Carrion, another candidate for the 42-credit master's degree, who
hopes one day to work in the counseling field. "I've been away from God for
a very long time, and I need Him on my side. The program has allowed me to
get involved back in my faith."

Joining Rhee and McElroy on the tour of the 176-year-old prison was the Rev.
Curtis A. Kearns Jr., director of PC(USA)'s National Ministries Division
(NMD); Kearns' executive assistant, Pam Green; and the Rev. Kathy Lancaster,
the denomination's criminal justice associate.

The visit was part of the moderator's three-state, four-day "Mission USA"
tour, which ended on April 5. The NMD-sponsored annual tour spotlights
Presbyterian-related mission projects and personnel in the United States. On
the previous day, Rhee and the delegation had visited the Church of
Gethsemane, a PC(USA) congregation in Brooklyn, NY, that was founded by and
for ex-offenders and their families (see note 6492).

Other "Mission USA" highlights included visits to the Navy Chaplains School
in Newport, RI and a parish nursing program at First Presbyterian Church in
Metuchen, NJ, and a visit with student members of the Protestant Cooperative
Ministry at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

At Sing Sing, Rhee said he was pleased to learn that the seminary program
was helping a number of inmates and dispelling myths about crime and
punishment.

"It is very inspiring to me, as I listen to your stories and determination,
what it is to overcome mistakes of the past and to look to the future," Rhee
told a gathering of seminarians in the basement of the prison chapel. "That
determination, helped by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has seen to the
end of your (criminal ways)."

The moderator said he was "grateful" for the prisoners' personal stories and
for the work of the instructors "who have helped the inmates move forward."

The seminarians meet each morning for three hours (with time out for the
regular population count), taking the same core courses as in the 90-credit
Master of Divinity degree program: Bible Studies; Church History and Modern
American Religions; Foundations of Ministry, Theology and Ethics; and
Pastoral Counseling.

Sing Sing prisoners are highly competitive for the relatively few spots in
each seminary class. Applicants must have earned bachelor's degrees from
accredited colleges. Typically, 75 to 100 inmates apply and only 16 to 18
are accepted. The seminarians say that being among the select few enhances
their prestige among fellow inmates, who often seek them out for advice and
spiritual guidance.

"This program is an eye-opener for me," said seminarian Evan Turner, of
Brooklyn, NY. "It's just another way of understanding that I was caught
between two worlds. Today, I am understanding both worlds. It has given me a
better understanding of who I am. It's opened the doors."

Sing Sing is New York's second-oldest and second-largest prison. The
facility, which has a $48 million annual budget, houses an average of 2,349
inmates - 1,813 in maximum security and 536 in medium security. The prison
has 950 employees and plays host to 5,000 visitors a month. Famous guests
have included Babe Ruth and Mother Teresa.

The seminary program is a departure from the public's perception of prisons
full of grim, stripe-suited convicts marching silently in lockstep.

"In a world full of stereotypical images, it is very sobering to be
confronted with the flesh-and-blood reality of incarceration," said Kearns,
the NMD director. "The prisoners speak of treatment and rehabilitation, but
society is not as clear about its objectives. One thing is certain from this
visit: The more we are able to relate to the incarcerated as persons, the
more informed our opinions will become."

Faculty members said each seminary class presents a fascinating challenge:
helping an extremely diverse group of men who live in a chaotic and
dangerous environment learn to trust each other and become a community.

The Master of Professional Studies degree equips graduates for further
seminary study or for work in human services. Faculty members said they
expect excellent academic work, and get it, in part because students have
fewer distractions than in traditional seminaries.

The group was escorted through locked gates and dimly lighted hallways by
the Rev. Edward L. Hunt, a pastoral-care professor at New York Theological
Seminary and director of the prison seminary program, which is supported by
private funding.

"We really work hard to give the inmates a balanced education," said Hunt,
who has been involved in the Sing Sing program since its founding.

Of the program's approximately 300 graduates, more than half have been
released from prison and many now work in such fields as substance-abuse
counseling, social work and housing development.

Students are usually between 25 and 60 years old and serving at least 15
years. In return for the free education, the students work with fellow
inmates in a variety of service programs.

Rhee's delegation also toured the prison's Protestant and Catholic chapels,
where they viewed colorful, surreal murals and stained-glass windows by
prisoner-artists; and was whisked through gloomy Cellblock B, which houses
more than 600 maximum-security inmates in tiny cells.

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