Deacon Steve Marks and 13 other men bring Communion and the Word of God each week to individuals incarcerated in Jefferson County’s jails — the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections and the Jefferson County Hall of Justice.
The Eucharist and the Word are at the heart of the ministry. Yet sometimes it’s not easy to provide both well.
Currently, the 13 male ministers serve both men and women. But it’s ideal for women ministers to serve female inmates, said Deacon Marks, who has ministered to the incarcerated for more than three decades.
He is hopeful that Catholic women will volunteer to help provide the Eucharist and the word of God to female inmates.
In addition to the Eucharist, Deacon Marks said he also encourages inmates to engage with sacred Scripture.
Many did so using Bibles donated by the Archdiocese of Louisville until about two years ago, when paper materials were banned from the jails as a safety risk.
Since then, he’s been working on a way to get digital copies of Scripture to the men and women he serves.
“If they have a Bible, they can dig deeper into the things we talk about” during the Communion service, said Deacon Marks. “That has tremendous value because the word has tremendous value.”
Through an initiative of the jail ministry, the U.S. bishops have given permission to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections to provide the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) on Android tablets, Deacon Marks said. The USCCB owns the copyright to this Catholic edition.
The department soon will upload the Bible onto its server, where the inmates will be able to access it on the devices. (Incarcerated individuals don’t have access to the Internet, Deacon Marks noted.)
He encourages inmates to read the Bible on their own, but also encourages them to serve as lectors during the weekly Communion services.
‘We can never be done with this. It’s an ongoing mission of the church to bring the Eucharist and Word to those that are incarcerated.’
— Deacon Steve Marks
“I find great value in them being engaged in the service,” he said. “There are some excellent readers in there. They take pride in it and I always affirm them saying ‘You have a gift for reading. Do it as often as you can.’ ”
Deacon Marks usually gives a homily or a minister will offer a reflection on the reading, he said.
“We talk about the readings and get a dialogue going. We value discussions,” he said.
Jail incarceration is short-term so he doesn’t always get to see the fruit of the ministry, but he hopes it’s “expressed in their lives,” he said.
Since 2017, five men have been baptized and received first Holy Communion in Jefferson County’s jails.
“To see people that have failed start to make it is a blessing. It’s the outcome we hope for,” he said.
Deacon Marks noted that jail ministry should be forever.
“We can never be done with this,” he said. “It’s an ongoing mission of the church to bring the Eucharist and word to those that are incarcerated.”
The environment in jails is “chaotic” and there are obstacles to inmates attending services at times, he said. Yet, “We’re moving forward. Jail ministry is alive and well.
”Individuals who are interested in the ministry should contact him at 964-6966 or deacon.steve.marks@gmail.com.
