Inmate finds faith behind bars, receives sacraments inside detention center

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

It was a buzz and the click of a lock, disengaging inside of large metal doors, that granted jail ministry volunteers access to a multipurpose room inside of the Kenton County Detention Center, Covington. The drab gray walls, plastic folding tables and worn-down carpet, set the scene for the events of May 8, when inmate Winston Gaines was welcomed into the Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Initiation. Administered by Father Jeff VonLehmen, pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Taylor Mill, and assisted by Deacon Barry Henry, director of Community Ministries and Outreach for Catholic Charities Covington, folding tables became an altar inside a makeshift chapel.

Father VonLehmen prepared the water for baptism, pouring holy water from a cleaned and repurposed Powerade bottle into a pitcher full of tap water, blessing it, preparing it to be used in the baptism. He said to Mr. Gaines, “Water, filling this bowl, let it fill your heart, let it cleanse, let it change, let it transform, let it nourish. In that sense, you can be free from all your sins, all our sins, you can always be free in that sense and strengthened to live a happier life.”

Then, taking the water, Father VonLehmen baptized Mr. Gaines who, though handcuffed, was set free of the stain of original sin and all those he has committed. Later, taking the perfumed chrism from a vial, Father VonLehmen confirmed Mr. Gaines, as the hands of jail ministers rested on his shoulders, a symbolic sign of support.

Those same hands rested on Mr. Gaines as he received Christ in the Eucharist for the first time, as Father VonLehmen told him in the homily, “there’s no place that Jesus can’t find us, come to us … now, from the Eucharist, born from above, he can reach people where nobody else can reach, in our hearts.”

Mr. Gaines said that he has been “anticipating” receiving the sacraments, and “looking forward to it.” Through these sacraments Mr. Gaines was initiated into the Catholic Church, but they also provide for him a continued path towards healing. With Mr. Gaines saying that he is most looking forward to receiving the sacraments now that he is Catholic, and that he hopes his newfound faith will “help me to be closer to God.”

The latest success story through the work of Catholic Charities, Covington, jail ministry program, Mr. Gaines approached jail ministers inside the detention center in January and inquired about becoming Catholic. However, his journey to the faith began long before his incarceration.

Mr. Gaines’ first encounter with his faith was through his grandmother, though it was not until his adult life that he began exploring a personal faith journey. “I had been doing research and was learning about the sacraments. I was going to different churches and trying to figure out why there are so many different churches and which church to go to. I realized that Catholic is the church,” he said.

After his incarceration, Mr. Gaines made the decision to become Catholic. “When I was here, the people from the Covington Diocese, I asked them and they hooked me up with Vince,” he said.

Vince Lonneman, one of Catholic Charities’ jail ministers, and new volunteer coordinator, accompanied Mr. Gaines through OCIA, working with him on matters of the faith: Old Testament and New Testament theology, the meaning of the Sacraments, the Eucharist as the true presence of Christ, how to pray the rosary and even stations of the cross.

Mr. Lonneman was “very excited” to work with Mr. Gaines, saying, “it was a very enriching, exciting, spiritual experience for me … One of the best gifts you can give to somebody is give them their faith. It was very enriching and rewarding for me, and I’ll never forget it the rest of my life.”

Though Mr. Gaines, a quiet and introspective person, said only that his OCIA experience was “interesting,” the emotion was evident when he announced his confirmation saint, St. Vincent.

Calling the sacramental experience, “happy,” and “almost overwhelming,” Mr. Gaines looks forward to practicing the Catholic faith, and learning more with the Catechism of the Catholic Church gifted to him by Deacon Henry.

Mr. Lonneman reflected on the fruits of the jail ministry team, saying, “they are always very appreciative, and that’s what we do. We go in and we give them hope, we give them some Scripture, we give them some things they can fall back on.” And in the case of Mr. Gaines, he received new life in Jesus, and a new community in the faith.

To learn more about the jail ministry program and how to volunteer go to: covingtoncharities.org/services/community-outreach-services/jail-prison-ministry.