One of the obvious small joys of the trip across the country was the rare occasion when a family member could join me. And nowhere was that more fulfilling than on my visit to Maine, where I was accompanied by my daughter, Kiera.
She joined me for a weekend traveling the beautiful coast, taking in Portland, Boothbay Harbor and Acadia National Park. And she was there when I ventured to Newcastle to worship at New England’s oldest Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s.
Accompanying me allowed her to sit down after Mass with a few participants in Maine’s Prison Ministry, men and women who fulfill that vital role of bringing Christ’s love to the incarcerated. And Kiera’s presence in that conversation was not just as observer, but insightful participant. She serves as a case worker for youth offenders – then in nearby Vermont – the first step in her desire for a career in prison reform.
52 Masses 