JCCU

San Quentin State Prison is an iconic American prison. Over 150 years old, it has witnessed thousands of prisoners pass through its massive iron gates. As all prisons, it has developed within its walls a spirit of oppression and cruelty.

They arrived: the Girl, her brother and their mother. "Take blankets out for them three", said Sister Lorena. They had all been given out in the morning, but I still looked in the closet and I only found a baby blanket.

“With my daughter getting older and my brother’s recent death, my family needs me more than ever…I don’t know what to tell my daughter when she asks me if I will be with her? I wish I could tell her not to worry… that I’ll take care of her and that everything will be alright.

I’m at a women’s cooperative near Bauchi, Nigeria. It’s 1996. Participants have just described to a group of us from Canada the lengthy production process of locust seed bean cake. It’s used to flavour soups and stews.

I will never forget the day it all came together. The place: St. Martin of Porres Parish, comprising two marginalized neighbourhoods in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a parish that has been a source of life for my Province since a group of Jesuits moved here thirty-six years ago.