George Burazer presents an update on the status of the death penalty across the United States during a recent meeting of social justice advocates. Besides the information he presented, the group heard from Deacon James Witulski, diocesan liaison to Catholic jail ministry in Mecklenburg County. (Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald)BELMONT — Opponents of North Carolina’s death penalty and advocates for social justice gathered June 6 to learn more about jail ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte.
The event, hosted by the Sisters of Mercy, included a dinner and fundraiser for family members who have relatives on death row.
Two women whose sons are on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh – one for the past 21 years and another for 23 years – said they would like people to know that their families share the heavy burden of the death sentence, and they ask people to pray for healing and peace.
“We feel forgotten,” one mother said.
Deacon James Witulski, the diocesan liaison for Catholic Jail Ministry of Mecklenburg County, encouraged people to pray for those who are imprisoned, as well as their families. And he had a message for the families present.
“Your family members are not forgotten. People care. They’re praying for you,” he said.
Deacon Witulski shared that when he and other members of the Mecklenburg County jail ministry visit prisoners, the most common request they receive is from prisoners asking them to pray for their mothers, their wives and their children “on the outside.”
He tells prisoners that they have a better opportunity to live holy lives than people “on the outside,” he said. “We’re all going to die. For an inmate, for a time, they lose everything and they get to focus on what counts.”
The jail ministry encompasses a team of priests, deacons and laity who visit the jails to talk and pray with prisoners, and otherwise provide spiritual support to them. The group is all volunteers, and not everyone participates by visiting the jails – some pray at home, write letters or send cards. But their aim is not to proselytize, he noted.
“We’re there to teach hope and to tell them that no sin is greater than the mercy of God if one repents,” he said.
The Holy Spirit is truly present in the work these volunteers do, Deacon Witulski said, and he recounted several emotional stories of prisoners experiencing God’s mercy and finding peace, even if they knew they would never see the outside of their prison.
“Misericordia,” he said, which in Latin means mercy, “that’s what jail and prison ministry is all about.”
“We are called to see the face of Christ in every man and woman we see. That’s the beauty and the challenge of sitting down and talking with those who are incarcerated.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Editor
Did you know?
More than 1,000 people have been put to death in North Carolina since the state assumed responsibility for executing criminals in 1910.
142 people are currently on death row in North Carolina, including three women. The longest-imprisoned person has been on death row since 1985.
Since 1984, North Carolina has executed 43 PEOPLE. The last executions were in 2006.
Get involved
Interested in learning more about the diocese’s prison and jail ministry? Contact Deacon James Witulski at 704-960-3704 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..