Covid-19 has brought many changes to people lives in many different ways.
People all seem to be seeking opportunities to connect, to find meaning and to navigate their way through this time. Although experienced in a different way, this is equally true for young people in custody.
With more time on their hands than usual for a number of reasons, chaplaincy support has been able to fill some of these gaps.
I had been sitting with two young women talking about the bible when Sarah* came quietly over and sat beside me. As the other girls moved away, she began telling me her father was a very religious man and that as she was growing up, he would often place a bible beside her bed, encouraging her to read it. She said she had no interest and would move it, finding some place in her house to hide it away, but that it was never long before another new bible found its way back to beside her bed.
Sarah then told me that she really wanted something to read in times of lockdown in her room and that she had decided, after a conversation with her father, that she may as well give the bible a go.
She asked if it was possible to have a ‘beginner’s bible’, as she had never really looked at it before. I took her one, marked with some suggested places to start reading – a couple of psalms, and a few stories of Jesus encountering people.
A few days later when I returned, Sarah excitedly greeted me, telling me that she had spent a lot of time reading, and that she really liked the psalms. We talked about how they are like poetry or songs, and that they are expressions of a heart poured out to God.
This opened the door to Sarah sharing more of her own life journey and story with me. The psalms had given her a form of expression for her own story - both the sorrows and the joys.
Mel Edwards | Youth Justice Chaplain
*At CatholicCare, we respect everyone who comes to us for help and many are working towards a fresh start in life. So while the stories are true, client names have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.
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