| Title:
Inside the Fence: A Handbook for Those in Prison Ministry
Author: Rev. David M. Schilder ISBN: 0-8189-0855-6 Paperback: xvi + 140 pp. Price: $12.95 + shipping To Order call: 1 800-343-ALBA (2522) Please have your Master, Visa or American Express card ready. To order online click here. |
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When Jesus sent his disciples forth to bring his healing message to those who needed to hear it most, he didn't want them to be under any illusions as to what they might expect. Moments of exhilaration and joy would be tempered by the harsh reality of opposition, criticism and rejection on the part of some. Father Schilder is equally candid about the rewards and the difficulties attached to ministry in a modern day prison setting. Servant, priest, teacher, administrator, mediator, reconciler, counselor, prophet, poet, recruiter and coordinator are just some of the hats the prison minister must wear. He or she must be extraordinarily resilient, tactful, patient, kind and firm, respectful and forgiving. Inmates and their relatives, staff, administrators, other ministers and volunteers all require the services of the prison chaplain in one way or another and at one time or another. This book provides some valuable tips to assist those in this very special ministry. |
Father David M. Schilder has spent eighteen years as a chaplain in
two state prisons, most recently at the Orient Correctional Institution in Orient, Ohio, and is
presently beginning to work in the federal prison system. Ordained in 1968 for the Diocese of
Columbus, he has also been involved in Honor Camps, Ministry-in-Context programs with seminarians
from Central Ohio, and from 1976-1985 was a consultant to the Director of Chaplaincy Services
for the State of Ohio.
Reviews"A prison chaplain in Ohio for two decades, Father Schilder has organized his book in ten chapters, each naming and explicating one important role the chaplain plays: servant, priest, teacher, mediator, ecumenical reconciler, counselor, pastoral administrator, prophet, poet, and volunteer coordinator. Under "The Chaplain as Servant," the reader learns that chaplains are public servants, employed by the state to serve prisoners, the state's wards. Pay, hours, and duties are set by the government, based on similar work performed in a church or parish. The chaplain is a professional -- ordained, licensed, and skilled -- whose job is to serve the inmates (treating them as equals, working within the major beliefs of the various faiths they represent, pressing them to grow, providing pastoral care and spiritual mentoring). "On average, compared to members of congregations in suburbia," opines Schilder, "the inmates' spiritual growth is more noticeable and taken more seriously." A servant is not a slave, though, either to the state or to the inmates. The chaplain must trust his/her own pastoral judgments and not let the state interfere with it, a point he illustrates with a personal example of the type of conflict that can arise between a chaplain and a supervisor. Most inmates see the chaplain only at weekly worship services, that is, in his/her role as priest, originator of public prayer and presider. This is the chaplain's primary responsibility as a full-time pastor. Given the many high holy days of the major religions, chaplains -- especially those with families -- have to make sacrifices to give the ministry the time needed to do the job. The chaplain models the way prayer and worship are part of mature, healthy adult life, the kind expected of the inmate "when he is released to society." The chaplain, then, ought to be a person of prayer who knows the value of making an annual retreat. This somewhat high-pitched tone, which takes the chaplain's role seriously, is characteristic of the volume, and while it may overreach at times, actually recommends it. Schilder presents the ideal chaplain (compared and contrasted throughout with a surgeon). Take this example: as teacher, the chaplain must not only know the basic tenets of different religions, but understand the philosophical currents of the age, respect foreign languages, know and love history, communicate ideas clearly, and on and on, and finally, urge inmates to develop their own intellect and ability to articulate the truth. The bar is set high. Yet what Schilder never lets the reader forget is the long-term: that an inmate will leave the prison and re-enter society. His pastoring is directed toward that day, and in the interim, toward the very hearts of every inmate, that they be lifted to God. This brief book is a thoughtful guide for prison chaplains and would-be chaplains of all denominations, seminary deans, and corrections administrators, personnel, and volunteers. Only an experienced chaplain, convinced of the importance of this ministry, could have written such a volume." --Church, Fall 2002 "Fr. David Schilder, a priest of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, has spent eighteen years as chaplain in the state prison system of Ohio, and he now serves as chaplain in the federal prison system. Intended as a guide for those involved in prison ministry, this book is a distillation of those many years of experience. In addition to Fr. Schilder's long experience, this work brings a Catholic perspective to the work of prison ministry. This is especially helpful, since there are very few works by Catholics on this aspect of the ministry. The book is organized around ten roles that Schilder sees the chaplain as playing. Among these are servant, priest, teacher, mediator and poet. Schilder examines each of these roles and points out personal qualities needed to execute each of these functions. Problems and challenges are treated along with opportunities to help and assist this somewhat neglected portion of the flock of God. The style is anecdotal. Numerous examples from real life experience are included to assist in making the points Schilder wishes to stress. This is one of the strongest points of the work, as these examples are extremely helpful for understanding the world of prison ministry. Furthermore, the book plays a valuable role in helping to understand the prison environment and the unique experience of people in prison. This book will be very helpful for anyone engaged in prison ministry. It will be extremely helpful in assisting pastors or counselors, who make occasional visits to the incarcerated in the course of their pastoral ministry, to be more sensitive to the needs and challenges of this all-important task of the Church. --Rev. Robert J. Bauer, SDB in Josephinum Journal of Theology, Summer/Fall 2001 "Inside the Fence: A Handbook for Those in Prison Ministry, by veteran chaplain and Columbus OH Diocesan priest, Fr. David M. Schilder (18 years with the state prison system chaplaincy, now with federal prison system). Based on the author's chaplaincy work, including training other chaplains (Christians, Jews, Muslims, Native Americans, etc.), the author presents ten chapters examining the chaplain as servant, priest, teacher, mediator, ecumenical reconciler, counselor, pastoral administrator, prophet, poet, volunteer coordinator. Among the author's "Epilogue" concerns: Need for statewide council of congregations and peer review boards to monitor chaplain performance; greater respect for the role of religion on a professional level in the institutional setting (as per education, medicine, psychology, etc.), to be generated by church/state leadership dialogue; greater concern for prison chaplaincy work by 'major denominations' (since chaplains deal with the spiritual life of some 2 million US citizens). Challenging reading for church leadership and secular authorities as chaplains and those new to chaplaincy ministry." --Crux of the News, June 21, 1999
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