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Volunteer in prison ministry reflect on rewarding service
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Anthony “Tony” Kobak acknowledged he never thought of serving as a volunteer chaplain in prison ministry until he experienced his own religious conversion.
It wasn’t a conversion to a religion, but a conversion in how he perceived his own faith.
Kobak will discuss his path to this corporal work of mercy in a series of talks this month at churches in the Diocese of Youngstown in hopes of interesting more volunteers. “There is a need,” he said.
Though he attended parochial school and has “been Catholic my whole life,” Kobak said he went to church Sunday and that was about it. “Volunteering in the church was something my grandmother did,” he said. “I was younger and too busy with other stuff ... life.”
Something he did in his family life about seven years ago changed his perspective. Kobak recalled he was always the last one to go to bed at night, turning off the lights and locking the doors. “In the quiet time, I would look at my daughters’ first- and second-grade homework in religion,” he said. The girls then attended Holy Family School; the family belonged to the church but now are members of St. Columba Cathedral.
“Over months, I saw what they were studying in religion ... like the 10 Commandments and why Jesus died. I was learning myself and remembering ... in the still of the night.”
It wasn’t an “a-ha” moment but rather a quiet and slow realization, Kobak said, adding, “Jesus died for me ... what does that mean to me and what am I called to do?”
He began reading the Bible, something he had never done before. After going over Matthew 25:31-46, which reads in verses 39 and 40, “Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The passage provided the inspiration for his prison ministry. “I read that, and the word of God spoke to me,” he said.
Kobak visits Ohio State Penitentiary on Sundays. It’s one example of corporal works of mercy.
Pope Francis announced the year of mercy, Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016. Pope Francis has asked people as individuals and as a church to be a witness of mercy by reflecting on and practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Kobak credited the late Rev. Nicholas Shori for mentoring him in prison ministry. “I shadowed him when he visited the prison,” Kobak said. Kobak also worked with the Rev. Steve Popovich for a time at the prison. In the diocese, prison ministry continues to involve priests and lay volunteers. The diocese provides training for the ministry and training in safety procedures while in the prison.
He visits inmates in the “highest security” level. Inmates request visits, and Kobak said they are brief – five to 10 minutes with each inmate. “I want to impart some message of caring,” he said. He has visited as few as four inmates and as many as 13. Kobak said he doesn’t know why the men are in prison and really doesn’t want to.
“I want to let them know that God loves them,” Kobak said. “For Catholic inmates, my message is about divine forgiveness of offenses. For others, it’s the same message, and there’s no pressure that goes with it.”
Kobak said some visits include reading Scripture and praying or conversations on any topic such as sports. Some inmates may want to revive their Catholic faith or convert to it. “I believe when they see me coming week after week, year after year, it has an impact,” Kobak said. “It’s been very rewarding ... you see God’s hand at work.”