You Will Truly Be Free by World Family of Radio Maria

“You Will Truly Be Free” Testimonials of conversion from prison 1

Preface by Don Raffaele Grimaldi Introduction by Fr. Livio Fanzaga

“You Will Truly Be Free” Testimonials of conversion from prison Jesus answered them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free.” (Jn 8:34-36)

Prepared by the Radio Maria editorial staff

Preface “You will truly be free.” Jesus’ exhortation is a clear call addressed to all of humanity, which has silenced and buried the Truth. Nevertheless, it remains indelibly, deeply engraved in the heart of every person. Speaking about “Truth and Freedom”, especially around those who work in prisons—chaplains, volunteers, and all types of staff members—they have the sense of an idea that fills the hearts of the many who have been “detained”, all those who have momentarily lost their freedom. But what might those two words mean for a prisoner and for all of us: Truth and Freedom? First of all, we have to silently withdraw into our own hearts, to retrace our personal experiences and thus discover the human limits and frailties that have stolen both Truth and Freedom from us. This little book, assembled by Radio Maria’s friends, gathers together notes from letters coming from prisons around Italy. Written by prisoners, these notes speak of suffering, pain, and marginalization. There are also testimonials from chaplains and Radio Maria volunteers, and prayers of hope and reconciliation composed in the silence of a cell. The fruits of this precious labor are also meant to reach “those of us who are free” so as to be able to inform and teach us to never point our finger at another, judging and condemning them. Instead, we must be shaped by the Word of He who is our “advocate” and who has always had an attitude of “Mercy and Love” for all of us.

This work recounts some testimonials of conversion from those who’ve found themselves “gripped by the Word of God” and who’ve allowed themselves to be led by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Even the “painful time”of a prison sentence can be an opportunity, an experience of reflection that helps one confidently resume a path that was interrupted. There is much solitude in a prison, where a person can experience complex suffering. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand for those who are not walking in their shoes. It is in precisely such a reality of suffering and marginalization that we must “generously sow” Hope, Mercy, and the Joy of the Gospel. In prisons, there is great need for words of tenderness and trust, which both the chaplains and the many kinds of volunteers offer in praiseworthy ways through their service—catechesis, Eucharistic celebrations, listening during the sacrament of Reconciliation—that help cure the many wounds that have been caused by bad choices. How many men and women, constrained between bare prison walls, have rediscovered the meaning and beauty of their life through the “proclaimed Word”? How many have encountered and experienced God’s forgiveness and have understood their errors, their hearts to true freedom and, above all, being encouraged to not give up, to keep heading toward the goal? All of this is also possible because of the help of the many believers who go to the prisons and knock at the door of so many people’s hearts, listening to their suffering.

In his apostolic exhortation “Gaudate et Exsultate”, Pope Francis reminds us that “no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in a human community” (GE, 6). For me too, living the proclamation of the Gospel of Mercy in Secondigliano’s large prison has been a unique occasion to heal many interpersonal relationships, to forge relationships of friendship and trust, and to point out new paths. Above all, I’ve tried to build bridges between the prison and outside, which is the only path for giving hope and a future to those who have been “branded, marginalized, and discarded”. It’s been an opportunity for involving public opinion, our communities, and policies; for offering support to those deprived of their personal freedom, especially urging them to open themselves to solidarity, an opportunity to draw near to the less fortunate. I would like to conclude by emphasizing Pope Francis’ idea of holiness as a gradual progression: “God does not want a soul to reach, in one stroke, the highest degree of holiness possible.”1 This is the attitude we want to have when we enter into the prisons with love, tenderness, and patience in our hearts; knowing how to wait on God’s time: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” (Is 55:8). Our task is only to sow confidently, certain that a “flower will bloom in the desert”.

Ismael Quiles, Il mio ideale di santità (Milan: Paoline, 1956), p. 196. See also “Gaudete et Exsultate”, 11. 1

I would also add that, as Pope Francis suggests, we should see our holiness within the entirety of our life and not “in the meticulous analysis of the details of a person’s actions”. 2 Our life is made up of contrasts of light and darkness and we are called, as believers, to help others so that we might rediscover the signs of the good that have been sown in our time, in the fields of our lives, beyond our limits and errors. “May none of you allow yourselves to be held captive by the past! True enough, even if we wanted to, we can never rewrite the past. But the history that starts today, and looks to the future, has yet to be written, by the grace of God and your personal responsibility.” 3 With the strength of hope in our hearts, we are all called to not give up, called to heal our wounds and to walk with a new heart towards a future of true freedom. Don Raffaele Grimaldi Inspector General of Prison Chaplains

Antonio Spadaro in the introductory guide to the apostolic exhortation “Rejoice and Be Glad”, Pope Francis Gaudete et Exsultate (Rallegratevi ed esultate): Con una guida alla lettura di Antonio Spadaro (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2018). 2

Pope Francis, “Jubilee for Prisoners”, homily given at the Vatican Basilica on Sunday, 6 November 2016. 3

Introduction The Miracle of Conversion It is with great joy that I accept the invitation to write you a few thoughts on the miracle of conversion, which is the greatest thing that can happen because there is nothing more divine than a change of heart that opens someone up to God’s love. This miracle is a gift for everyone because, as Pope Francis loves repeating, we’re all sinners. It’s a miracle that can happen anywhere, even inside a prison, mitigating that time of suffering with the joy and peace of a heart reconciled to God. You have to collaborate too, however. God comes to visit you, knocks softly at the door of your heart and waits patiently for you to open it. Know that this is the most important moment of your life because your decision could begin a new journey in the light of hope. I therefore invite you to get yourself together and go within, where God comes to visit and where you can hear His voice. I’m hoping these reflections might help you, and that I might be able to accompany you with my prayer and friendship. Yours truly, Fr. Livio

Stop! Dear Friend, life is an elusive mystery for those who don’t have the light of faith. You can find yourself existing without having been asked for you opinion. How is it even possible? The fact of your existence doesn’t depend on you. So, who decided in your place? Who wanted your unique identity to come into being? Who established the how, when, and where of your entry onto the world’s stage? It’s a puzzle you aren’t able to solve. Meanwhile, life goes on, unstoppable. Who can hold it in their hand, even for just a moment? Time is always marching forward. Death gnaws at us from the moment we are conceived. The first years of the journey you look ahead, as if the future were a boundless ocean to navigate as you wish. Life is full of hope. Nothing is impossible. Then you realize that illusions vanish while delusions multiply. Waves toss you about while you try to stay afloat the best you can. You didn’t expect life to be so hard and so full of unknowns. Little by little, as you go on, you lose your inner light. You no longer have a compass to point out the right direction. You go forward but don’t even know where you’re headed. You keep going compelled by the inertia of the days that pass by and then repeat, shortening the time you have left. Unsuccessfully you try to go back or stop the race. Have you asked yourself what awaits you in the darkness that is thickening in front of your eyes? You see that it’s crazy to follow a route without knowing where it leads. At first, the path is wide and crowded and you think it’s going to be an easy road. Little by little, as you continue, your certainty starts to waver. Along the wayside you see the corpses

of those who went before you, those you tried to pass, piling up. The landscape becomes harsher and more inhospitable, like parched plants trying to grow in the desert. First you’re afraid, then in agony, and finally a dark despair stops your heart. You ask yourself, “Where am I going?” At every turn you look ahead for a destination that might have the semblance of security. You have the nagging suspicion that you missed an exit. And what if it’s a dead end? What if it’s your destiny to run on until you drop and fall to the ground like all those others that you’re passing up? What happens if a dark abyss suddenly opens up ahead of you for you to fall down? Perhaps you’ve already started down a slippery slope. What should you do? Stop? Grab onto something? Let yourself go? In that case, what would happen to your life? You thought you had everything in the palm of your hand and now it’s slipping away as if someone were taking back what they’d given you. Dear friend, don’t keep heading down a dead end. Don’t go into the darkness that hides mortal pitfalls. Life is a unique opportunity that you only get one of. Don’t rip it up like a piece of useless paper. Stop while you still have time, before you get to the edge of the precipice and it swallows you up. The path you chose so boldly is “the broad road that leads to destruction” (Mt 7:13). Perhaps they already told you, but you didn’t believe them. Little by little, as you went on you might have had more than a passing doubt, but you quickly ignored it. Now you’re convinced by personal experience. You thought you could do anything, that your every hunger would be satisfied. At first, everything seemed easy as if all your desires would come true. You did whatever you wanted in that vanity fair that sparkled with fake lights.

You looked for happiness but never found it. Every time you thought you’d caught it, it would slip from your fingers, vague and elusive. The murky waters of restlessness, disappointment, and anguish started to weigh on you, rising every day until they drowned you. For a long time you haven’t had the sleep of the righteous. When was the last time you went to sleep at peace with yourself? You feel the weight of a wasted life pressing down on you. How many battles lost, how many bloody wounds, how many bites given and received? Evil, that mysterious but allpresent entity weighs on your shoulders, eating you away from within, taking away the joy of living. And yet, every day you get up again and repeat the same old things, the same fake show, the same deceitful words. You move on like a dead man walking. Perhaps you’ve lost hope. Perhaps you really think you’ll never get another chance. Your life is a path to destruction. There are many others on it. You thought you were in good company. Then you found out that everyone is alone, crouching in their dark fears. At the end of this horrible path is a chasm that no one can get out of once they fall in. There are some who sleepwalk through it to the end, in spite of all the alarms that are being set off. They don’t want to stop to figure out where they’re going. Since their hope is dead, they’ve decided to die too. But what kind of death is it? They’ve let themselves be swallowed by evil. A fatal error that can’t be fixed. You can make countless mistakes in life but this is the only one that is really deadly. You absolutely have to avoid it. If you feel that you’re on the wrong path, don’t take another step. Every step further you go, the worse things will get. Don’t follow the foolish moths who are racing toward the fire that will burn them

alive. Stop, and start to reflect. This fact alone would mean that the weak light of wisdom that you thought you’d lost has been rekindled. The wise person considers they might be wrong or that they were wrong. That small recognition of humility could be the beginning of your salvation. Let the others stick to their frenetic path. You, instead, stop and look around. After so much running, where have you gotten? Is this dry and desolate spot the place where you wanted to be? Don’t you think you might have gotten lost? What would a wise person do? There’s only one solution, dear friend. When you don’t think you’re on the right road then stop. If you’re sure you’ve made a mistake, turn around. Many don’t because they’ve grown blind. Their hearts have hardened and won’t let the least bit of light flicker through. Your life is at stake, its value and eternal destiny. Don’t ignore the invitation to stop. It’s a matter of life or death.

Open Your Heart Your inner world isn’t an uninhabited desert. Beyond the tangle of passions, thoughts, and emotions you can feel the mystery of a presence. Walled up in yourself without doors or windows, you aren’t alone. There must be a reason why people of every age have always been searching for God. Our external world, with all of its vastness, beauty, and order is such a work of art that it leads us to postulate the existence of an all-powerful hand. Perhaps you too have been enchanted by the beauty of a sunset, your soul moved by the fascinating sight of the great book of nature. Perhaps you asked yourself if it made sense to attribute the awesome masterpiece

of creation just to chance, but you didn’t go any further. Then the feeling faded, and you again forgot that countless numbers of stars are shining above you. But now, circumstances have changed. God isn’t just a theory formulated by your mind but “Someone” who is so close to you as to dwell within you. You asked yourself so many times if God existed but never fully looked for an answer. You didn’t make a choice that would have changed the direction of your life. You never had the inner strength to choose Him. You left the problem unresolved, swept up in your daily concerns. Now you realize that you have to face him. You don’t have to look for Him anymore; He’s come looking for you. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Reflect on your current situation. You are on the path to destruction, disillusioned and burdened with life’s cares. You feel like a hunted animal without any means of escape. Suddenly, you make a decision that you used to put off until tomorrow. You stop, and start to reflect on your life. You look within yourself and pay attention to the voices coming from your heart. Do you think that everything’s happened just by chance? Or have you fooled yourself into thinking that you are the star of the show? It’s not the first or second of those. Human life isn’t a small boat at the mercy of waves and currents. Someone is watching over us and when you realize that, that you are loved, you will be filled with joy. Know that, while you’re racing toward the abyss, the fatherly gaze of the One who created you is following you carefully. He sees your every thought, your every feeling, and everything you do. When the time arrives, He comes looking for you like the

shepherd looking for the lost sheep who’s about to be attacked by wolves. Silently, He’s come into your heart, without you even noticing, and starts knocking softly, so as not to scare you. When we draw away from God, we aren’t abandoned to ourselves. The Creator’s patience is boundless and He waits for the right moment when a path opens. If you call out to Him when you’re in trouble, He would answer. The All-Powerful approaches you respectfully, driven by an endless love He comes to meet you—not to judge or much less to condemn you, only to raise you up. It’s true, you didn’t ask for any help, but He wants to cross your path because it’s His right as well as His duty. He is the One who created you, your Father, and you are His creature, His child. Could He ever condemn you? Could He let you fall into the abyss without doing everything possible to stop you? God looks for you the way a father or mother looks for their lost child who they can’t find at home. What are you scared of? Are you scared that God would take away your autonomy and freedom to live your life? Do you think His omnipotence might crush you or that His presence is cumbersome? Free yourself from these illusions and open yourself to truly know the One who is immense and boundless love. Indeed, it is Love knocking at the door of your heart, tapping softly, almost imperceptibly. The All-Powerful isn’t a bully. He’s meek and has a timid heart. He is so gentle that He’s almost hidden. He doesn’t want to impose, but just to make himself present. He wants you to listen closely and, in that silence, to hear the whisper of His call. He doesn’t want to enter if you don’t want Him to, but wants you to want Him to come in. He wants you to take a couple

of steps toward the door so you can hear Him better and dispel any doubts. He wants you to want someone to come and visit you and share a consoling word. When the desire for God comes into your heart, it means that He has already arrived and is waiting. In your desire to change your life and be spiritually renewed, know that He is already present. The heart that yearns for truth, goodness, and eternity is already on the path toward God, even if you don’t know it yet. You’re at a decisive moment in your life. The One who has created you and who has come to look for you in the darkness of death and lies asks to meet you in your most secret place. He won’t enter if you don’t open the door. He won’t insist if it bothers you. Perhaps He will come back, perhaps not. Timeo Dominum transeuntem: “I’m afraid I might miss the Lord as He passes”, St. Augustine exclaims. The decision is yours alone. God has put your life in your own hands. If you want to escape the swamp and return to living in hope, you must open your heart and let your Creator in. Are you uncertain? Are you tempted to leave it for later? Start to pray. Ask for the help that only He can give you. This is the way, simple and humble, that a heart begins to open up and the barriers of separation are broken down. If people were to wait until they were certain that God exists, they would risk staying forever in the darkness. It is by a decision of will that you break out of the prison of your pride. Atheism is a decision made by a heart that is closed to the transcendent, not a conclusion reached by the intellect. In turn, meeting God isn’t the result of reasoning, but of answering an inner call. God lets you decide. He doesn’t force or even condition you. In His infinite humility He bows before your free choice. But if you push Him away, what do you have left? What hope would

remain in your life? Do you want to prolong your agony in the wastelands where the sun never shines? If you choose God, suddenly everything changes and a new world opens before you. But you’ll never know it or be part of it if you don’t have the courage to open your heart to the One who knocks.

Kneel Down Moving towards God when you’re stuck in the swamp of sin is, at the same time, a gift of grace and a decision of will power. By itself, free will couldn’t make it if grace didn’t come to its rescue. “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (Jn 8:34). Jesus is very familiar with the tragic life circumstances that He has come to free us from. His call to conversion is embraced by all kinds of people, even public sinners and prostitutes. Their first steps toward conversion are among the most moving passages in the Gospels. I would like you to consider one of these episodes to see if you can identify with it. It will make you realize what it means to embrace the call of that inner voice that calls you sweetly but firmly. “Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that He was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind Him at His feet weeping and began to bathe His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment” (Lk 7:37–38). Who is this woman? “A sinful woman in the city,” the evangelist Luke answers dryly. So, one of those prostitutes that Jesus was talking about when, arguing with the pharisees, he said: “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” (Mt

21:31). Her heart has secretly opened itself to grace, perhaps from listening to Jesus before or perhaps just from having heard others speak about Him. She has found out where He’s at and decides not to waste any time. The spiritual battle in her heart between good and evil has already been resolved and her mind is made up. What is striking, however, is the miracle of light and grace that has happened in that woman’s soul. She feels—and helps you to understand too—that, in that instance, conversion is an act of love. First of all, it’s God’s love that is made manifest, that makes itself felt in the person and the words of Jesus. She feels that a merciful goodness, which she has fruitlessly sought elsewhere, is emanating from Jesus’ heart. His is a heart full of forgiveness, respect, and welcome; a heart that won’t betray you. It’s the heart that everyone is looking for, but they won’t find among creatures. Jesus’ heart makes her understand the misery of the fake loves, the transient loves, the commercial loves that are ruining her life. Then, deep within, she decides that Jesus is the One she should be loving, the One to give her heart to. Repenting and changing one’s life can’t be expressed in words but only in action. They are sublime acts of love that only a feminine heart could conceive. First of all, she throws herself at Jesus’ feet, weeping. She doesn’t feel worthy to look on His face but crouches at his feet. She is humbled, aware of her unworthiness and the profound feeling of Jesus’ divine holiness but, at the same time, she is trusting and confident. She kneels at His feet, touches His feet, caressing them, kissing them, washing them with her tears. Why does she cry? They aren’t tears of desperation but of repentance for the sins she’s committed and for a life wasted in evil. They are also tears of joy for the true love she’s found and for the mercy that is being poured out in her life. The sinner is

completely taken with love for Jesus. It’s as if the Master’s feet had become her own—she washes them with her tears, dries them with her hair, kissing them over and over and finally even sprinkling them with scented oil. The pharisee is scandalized. Perhaps we would have been scandalized too. We would have criticized her saying that it was an inconvenient, exaggerated, sentimental, typically feminine act. But Jesus shows His appreciation for these affectionate gestures made toward Him. In Simon’s heart, a murmur of disbelief bubbles up that doesn’t escape Jesus’ notice. “If this man were a prophet, He would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner” (Lk 7:39). Reason, with its strict logic, is frightening and shows how even a zealous follower of the Law of Moses, as the pharisees generally were, could be far from having a true conception of God. Since Jesus is merciful, He must not be sent by God. If He had come from God, He wouldn’t let himself be touched by a sinner like that. Unconditional belief in divine mercy is always difficult for sinners, even when they’ve been raised in the faith. Evil has left a mixture of fear and mistrust in the depths of people’s souls that blocks their spiritual path. Jesus already has the sinner’s heart, but He isn’t content. He also tries to get into the pharisee’s heart and, instead of reprimanding him, He uses words of goodness to make him think twice, and at the same time shows His divine power to forgive sins. “Simon, I have something to say to you,” Jesus says. “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then He

turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Lk 7: 40–50). Dear friend, perhaps you’re asking yourself if it’s easy asking for your sins to be forgiven, easy to have a peaceful heart and claim your divine childship, easy to have eternal life. It seems humanly impossible to you. You’re right. But with God, things are different then with humans. What is impossible for humans is possible for God. Even you can become a new person, even a close friend of the Lord, with a simple act of humility like that woman. She crouched at Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. Don’t hesitate to kneel before the Merciful Love who looks at you compassionately. Recognize the humble greatness of your Creator and Savior. Accept that you are His creature, small, weak, and sick. Show your wounds to the doctor of your soul. Spit out the poison of pride that Lucifer has perverted you with and kneel under God’s powerful and benevolent hand. On your knees you can gain entrance to salvation. That gesture of humility marks an irreversible change in your life. The One who humbles the proud and exalts the lowly reaches out His hand to raise you up. Father Livio Fanzaga

Letters from Prison “God’s Word is our Sunlight” Thank you so much for your wonderful thoughts. I’m touched that you remembered me. What you sent me is just what I wanted: the radio handset and the prayer booklet. I will always keep them with me, even when I get out of here, God willing. I can keep them in my bag with me. God’s word is our sunlight. During the long years I’ve spent in here, I’ve been able to make an inner reckoning and to deepen myself. Through prayer alone I’ve been able to overcome all the barriers and break all the chains that imprisonment brings. Being in touch with you has really done me good and I will treasure everything I learn through your radio so I can entrust myself completely to God and have trust and hope for the future. Santa, Palermo Correctional Facility

“In Isolation, the Only Voice I Heard Was the One Coming from your Radio” Dear Radio Maria friends, I have to express my many thanks because, up until a few days ago, I was in isolation and couldn’t write or have visitors. The only voice I heard was the one coming from your radio, which I was allowed to have. You kept me company and I became thankful because, in isolation, I was able to listen to your words carefully and they changed my heart. Thank you for sharing God’s word with me! Thank you for everything you do for this flock of lost sheep. Silvio, Biella Correctional Facility

“I’m Paying Dearly for my Mistakes” For about a year I’ve been locked up in Teramo’s Correctional Facility. Mentally, it’s been very taxing since this is my first experience in jail. I’m alone, I don’t have anyone to visit me. They’ve abandoned me in here. I know I was wrong but I’m paying dearly for my mistakes. I feel very lonely because my cellmate got out and when we were together we constantly listened to Radio Maria because I’m very devoted to Mary. But when she left she took the radio too, along with leaving a big emptiness. For me, it was a comfort to be able to hear the words of our heavenly Mother and when I pray I feel close to all of you. Please pray for me and my companions in misfortune. I ask you kindly, since I don’t have anyone else, could you send me a radio so I can continue praying and feel closer to you and our heavenly Mother? Thank you for listening to me. Devotedly, your faithful listener, Valentina, Teramo Correctional Facility

“Blessings on the Guards, Assistants, Inspectors, Doctors, and Nurses Who Have Done so Much for us Inmates” Dear Radio Maria brothers and sisters, My name is Enrico and I was born with polio in my lower limbs. I had my first operation on my feet 8 months after I was born. Altogether, I’ve had 13 operations. My mother never left me. She is the only good person I have truly loved. After she died, my brothers and sisters abandoned me. Since 2010 I’ve been in prison in Poggioreale. With my whole heart I thank the sister who has always helped me here in jail and my volunteer helper. They deserve all my respect and love. They help all the inmates and make sure everyone has what they need. I am also grateful to the priest who said Mass for us at Easter. It was really a beautiful Easter, even if I spent it in a cell. I pray to the Lord that when I am free I can dedicate myself to people who need help. I would like to be like Jesus, going from town to town helping and leading people to faith, the way Pope Francis is doing. I like being with the poor and helping them. Even if I’m in jail now, I’m lucky that, through the programs I’m following on your radio handset, I can pray to the Lord and feel the power of the Holy Spirit. When I pray, I often think back to when I was growing up in my hometown in Caserta with my mom. Pope John Paul II visited our cathedral. That’s when I rediscovered hope. I listen to Radio Maria in the evening. It helps me so much to pray and keeps me company. Thank you for everything you’re doing for us. I’ll say goodbye and let you know that I would like to receive a blessing for all of us inmates. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” as St. Paul says.

Blessings on the guards, assistants, inspectors, doctors, and nurses who have done so much for us inmates. May God bless them. Enrico, Napoli Poggoreale Correctional Facility

“Praying the Rosary with You Brings Me to Tears” Dear Fr. Livio and the entire Radio Maria staff, I’m always connected to you, following along on the radio handset, and I cannot hide that when I pray the rosary with you to Our Lady, Jesus’ Merciful Mother, accompanied by beautiful music, I am brought to tears. I believe it’s the presence of Mother Mary, Jesus my friend, and God the Father beside me. In those moments, I get homesick for my loved ones, family, and friends. I become a young boy again, helpful to others, and that is when I feel a terrible pain. I pray every second for God the Father, Jesus my friend, and my Mother Mary to take this pain away, to grant me the grace to see my family not suffer any more and to be able to return to the people who are anxiously waiting for me, and to again praise God the Father that the little bit of good I’ve done has been given back to me today with all this affection, esteem, and trust. Thanks to your help and the chaplain I found here, I have strengthened my faith and my heart. I’m asking you for an image of the Merciful Christ and a wooden Tau because I am devoted to St. Francis. May God bless you! Mario, Trapani Correctional Facility

“When I Told my Wife I’d Written to You, She Hugged Me” Today, like every week, my wife and three children came to visit me and we thank you so much for the blessed rosaries and booklets that you’ve sent us. In this dark and narrow cell I will pray and at home my children and wife will pray and we will all be united in the Lord’s name. My oldest son, who is 11 and is slightly disabled, was very proud of your rosary bracelet, which he always wears. Since I was young I was always loyal to the Church, but I never fully believed because I was always abandoned to myself, without any guide to help me. My mother was in a community and I didn’t even know who my father was. Now, during this time in prison, I’m looking over my life to try and understand my mistakes and I’m realizing how important it is to pray together and be united. I cheated on my wife a bunch of times and she always forgave me. In these years, growing up, I’ve realized how lucky I am to have her by my side! When I told my wife I’d written to you and that you’d responded, she hugged me, a wonderful hug! Every Sunday here I go to Church. Sometimes we’re not lucky enough to have a priest to say Mass for us, so we inmates get together in a room to pray. There are about 23 of us who attend Mas and we bring our rosaries so that we can feel united and equal—blacks and whites—all the same. Fr. Livio’s book that you sent me illuminates our path every day. Anselmo, Fermo Correctional Facility

“Here in our Cell, the Radio Handset has a Place of Honor” Dear Fr. Livio, I’m writing this letter to thank you with all my heart for the radio handset that I received and the beautiful letter you sent me. I didn’t think you’d have time to answer me because I’m just poor inmate. I’m happy to listen to Radio Maria; its broadcasts are clear. I pray the rosary with you every day and listen to the beautiful things you speak of every day, especially Fr. Livio’s reflections and the daily news reports. Here in our cell, the radio handset has a place of honor—all four of us here listen faithfully and carefully. It is truly a companion that lifts us up and brings us joy even on the saddest and most meaningless days. Costel, Verona Correctional Facility

“If All this Suffering Has Brought me to God, Then I’m Content” I’m writing to thank you for the great faith you broadcast to our hearts. My name is Giuseppe and I’m from Calabria. In all this suffering that my family and I are going through, there’s a big positive that, thanks to you has come into my life. Having met God is something wonderful and indescribable. There’ve been times when I thought I couldn’t make it, that I would end things. But, thanks to God, through you—listening to the Mass every morning and catechesis on Friday nights— you’ve helped me understand that life is a gift from God and no

one has the right to trample that gift that the Lord has given us. Now, thanks to you opening my eyes, I’ve understood the value of life and of love and I feel stronger. The suffering I’m going through weighs on me less because I know for sure that God is with us and, as Pope Francis always says, nothing is an obstacle to God; He even gets past bars. If all that has happened, if all this suffering has brought me to God, then I’m content. Thank you. Thank you, my God! I pray to God that you may enter into everyone’s hearts because you are a gift from God. Giuseppe, Vibo Valentina Correctional Facility

“In Every Prayer, I Found a Part of Myself, Which Has Made Me Think” Dear Fr. Livio and everyone dedicated to supporting Radio Maria, My name is Igor and I’m an inmate in Verona’s prison. I come from Moldavia and I’m a Christian. A prisoner would do anything to make their life in here better— they would use all their cunning and smarts and trickery to take advantage of any possible benefit. If I’m being truthful, that was my plan at the beginning, when I asked you for the radio handset that you send us inmates. When you wind up in jail, everything takes on a different dimension. Even a little radio is a rarity, a precious commodity. I heard that, writing to you, I could get this gift and I didn’t think about it much. I immediately looked for Radio Maria’s address so I found your prayer booklet that you’d sent us and, out of curiosity, I started to read it. I read the whole thing and, to my surprise, in

every prayer I found a part of myself, which has made me think. I became aware of the evil I’d done and that I was asking for a radio out of superficial desire, not because I wanted to start on a path of conversion. At that moment I started to repent and I wanted a new life. I was ashamed. God had given me everything, health, a brain, a good family and I’d wasted it. I should thank God that I’m in jail, otherwise I could have taken an even worse path and that would have been the end of me. Thank you for working for the lives of those who truly need it. While there are people like you, there’s hope for the world. In the end, when we go to heaven, we only take the souls of those we’ve saved with us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Igor, Verona Correctional Facility

“We Felt, Perhaps for the First Time, That Someone Trusted in Us” We send our heartfelt greetings to Fr. Livio and all the Radio Maria volunteers. We are seven young men who received the sacrament of Confirmation on 19 May after long preparations offered by our chaplain. We want to thank you for the books, rosaries, the radio handsets, the images of the Blessed Virgin, and all the material you’ve sent us at Christmas, Easter, and for the month of Mary. You have accompanied and sustained us in our journey of rebirth to faith and hope. We felt, perhaps for the first time, that someone trusted in us, and it was important to us. Seven Young Inmates, Bari Youth Detention Center

“We Ask You with our Whole Hearts, to Give Us Another Chance” My dear brothers and sisters, I’ve always been a believer, even if I didn’t go to Church regularly. I have to admit that since I’ve been in jail—about 10 months now—my faith has grown stronger. Every morning I pray the rosary along with your radio handset and every evening my cellmates and I have a little cenacle reading and comment on the Gospel. I’m 31 and I still don’t know how long I’m going to have to stay behind these sad walls. I hope to get out soon and continue the journey I started on 2 June, the day I got married. About four months later I was arrested. But, despite everything, these hard times are gaining value. Here inside I’m finding the conviction that Our Lord sees everything and provides for everything. I would like to ask a favor, if possible. Can you dedicate a Mass or a rosary to all the inmates? We know that we’ve made mistakes but many of us have been forgotten and we feel that all our rights have been violated. We ask you, with our whole hearts, to give us another chance and to pray for us. Roberto, Vibo Valentina Correctional Facility

“We Especially Look Forward to Sunday to Hear the Gospel” I’m a 40-year-old “boy”. Since I’ve been incarcerated I’ve started, almost by chance, to listen to your broadcasts. I say “almost by chance” because, having a lot of time inside here and exhausted by the monotony of TV shows, my cellmate and I

got a radio handset and started surfing through broadcasts. We discovered, to my amazement, that Radio Maria was one of the most interesting stations on the radio. It doesn’t have a boring, monotonous, or standardized musical format like almost all the other Italian stations. We especially look forward to Sundays to hear the Gospel readings and homilies that have become a consolation and a guide for us, keeping our hope alive of being able to undertake a truly new path that is full of true life. Carlo, Trento Correctional Facility

“Giovanni, Get Up” Dear Radio Maria Association, I’ve just received your letter with the rosaries and images of Our Lady and Our Lord Jesus Christ: “Jesus trusts in you.” Thank you. I shared the rosaries and some of the holy cards with my cellmates and sent some of them home to my kids. Day and night, all we do is call on Jesus’ name. I feel Him present here and I see that some of my companions often want to have discussions with me so we can hear His Word. I’m in a lot of pain and suffering because I’ve found an unfillable hole inside myself. But then in my mind I hear God’s voice calling me and saying, “Giovanni, get up.” So I start praying. I read the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and I feel better. I pray that He will make manifest His glory and give the world the hope of the new life to come. I am suffering so much and with me all my companions are suffering too but we are comforted by the teachings of your programming. We try to love one another as Christ has loved us.

Your support fills me with joy. I want to get free so that I can join an association like yours that spreads the word of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Giovanni, Napoli Poggioreale Correctional Facility

“I’m Happy and Don’t Care About the Bars on the Window” I’m doing well because I always have Jesus by my side and I know that He hears my prayers. I got proof of it two days ago when I prayed with my whole heart, asking Him to help the mother of one of my cellmates out of her coma. That same day, when my friend called the hospital, he got to talk to his mom. Inside of me then I thought that God truly is great and that nothing is impossible for Our Lord Jesus Christ. It might seem strange to hear these words from an inmate, but I’m happy and don’t care about the bars on the window. I feel free. Sometimes I feel like my heart’s going to explode from the joy that I’m feeling. I’m someone who tries to help everybody. The other day I gave the radio handset that you sent me to one of my friends because he always seemed sad and I realized that he needed it more than I did. Ivano, Alessandria Correctional Facility

“Praying the Rosary Became Contagious. It Gives Everyone Comfort and Hope” I wasn’t an atheist, but today I know that I surely wasn’t a good Christian. I started listening to Radio Maria by chance one afternoon. I remember you were broadcasting the rosary and it touched me. As time went on I wanted to pray the rosary too. Then, thanks to your prayer booklet…that’s when the miracle happened because I was able to get other inmates to pray it too. We learned so many prayers that we didn’t know before and now we pray them together. Praying the rosary became contagious. it gives everyone comfort and hope and we all want to thank you—all of us who’ve always been labelled as a “societal problem”. Please believe me when I say that we’ve changed and many of us have realized that we’ve made mistakes. When I get out, I’m going to tell everybody how important you are for the many people like me. Paolo and a group of inmates, Benevento Correctional Facility

“Suffering Gives Life Meaning” Through my suffering I’m glad to have met the Lord our God. I’m always telling my cellmates in here that our suffering is nothing compared to Jesus’ Passion that earned us salvation Who knows who we might be saving with our suffering! Moreover, suffering gives life meaning. I will never get tired of telling you that the work you’re doing is unique. It involves so many people around the world praying

and accompanying the sick, the elderly, and the incarcerated, helping us day by day to know the Gospel and its readings of joy and hope. I’m still, in my small way, getting other inmates involved in praying. In the evenings we pray the rosary with you and they thank me because, after praying, they feel better. They feel close to God our Father. I won’t lie. It makes me very happy to be useful. If my soul is suffering, like so many others, it’s because God has grabbed hold of us too hard, so that we don’t fall. Salvatore, Vibo Valentino Correctional Facility

“We Feel at Ease When We Proclaim the Word of God” I go to our prison chapel once a week for Mass. I’m an active Catholic and I like to go to Church. Today our chaplain gave me your prayers to read in the mornings and evenings and a beautiful Gospel that makes me feel that you’ve embraced me with esteem, friendship, and brotherhood. I’m very happy to turn to all of you to thank you for what you’ve given us inmates. We feel at ease when we proclaim the Word of God. I want to thank everyone from the Radio Maria Association and all the people who believe in us and trust in and follow us on our path toward the Lord. The prayer booklets are very interesting and allow each of us to come closer in prayer. It’s true: prayer helps us live a lot better and gives meaning to each day. Our souls and our faith in God the Almighty support us through our worries, console us, accompany us in understanding the Word of God, and help us feel close to Our Lady. I also pray for all of you and I’m sure that

our prayers will never end. They fill our hearts, our souls, our very lives. Than you. Thanks to all of you for your important and beautiful work and for the prayers that you offer for all those in need. Rosario, Palmi, Reggio Calabria Correctional Facility

“The Sword Had Fallen from his Hand” I’ve been locked up in jail for 383 days. I was listening to my cellmate’s radio handset, but he was transferred to another facility and now I’m alone. When my cellmate would listen to Radio Maria every night, I would watch him and see him get in his bunk and stop talking. When he turned off the radio I would ask him what he was listening to. He said that he was listening to music. But every morning and evening at the same time, he would put on his earphones and turn toward the wall in his bunk. One morning he went to the bathroom and left his radio. So, out of curiosity I put on his earphones and heard a priest preaching. When my friend got back from the bathroom he saw me and asked, “Did you change the program I was listening to?” I said no, that I was just curious to hear what he was always listening to every morning and evening at the same time. He told me that I couldn’t listen because I didn’t believe in Catholicism. However, we got to talking about Radio Maria and Sacred Scripture. He kept telling me that, since he’d started listening to Radio Maria, he’d changed. The sword he was carrying had fallen from his hand. I saw that it was true because I knew he was a troublemaker before, so I was intrigued. One morning I told him not to use the earphones and to let me hear the catechism he was listening to. The same for that evening and the following

days. Then my friend was transferred. I miss him but I also miss that special radio in the shape of the Virgin that I listened to out of curiosity. That curiosity became a companion that I can’t do without. Now, in my heart, I feel that I can say that I’m Catholic. I’ve joined the prison choir. I want so much to listen to you again. You give the prisoners strength. You give us the hope that it’s possible to change. Paolo, Bellizzi Irpino, Avellino Correctional Facility

“My Days in Prison are Now Passing Quickly and Well” Dear Fr. Livio, I got good news today that I’d been looking forward to joyfully. I’m talking about getting the Radio Maria radio handset. Then I saw that you’d also included many beautiful prayers and reflections that I read with pleasure and trust and that I enjoyed very much. I don’t know how to thank you. I’m grateful for your goodness and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps someday, when I get out, I will be able to help your Radio Maria Association. Having received such an important and special gift, my days in prison are now passing quickly and well. I’m excited by it. I didn’t expect such an important gift, especially now, not getting any visits, and suddenly a shining light appeared and my sorrow, all of a sudden, disappeared. Obviously, the Lord’s paths are innumerable. Giacomo, Trento Correctional Facility

“I Wish so Much that Jesus Would Make Me Back into the Happy Creature that He Planned Me to Be” Lately, I’ve been a little lost. For about the past two years or so I had stopped writing to anyone because I was so overwhelmed by the harshness of my sentence. I believe very much in Jesus Christ and I believe that He is always waiting for me and yet He has tested me so many times. I have proof of His existence and of His Father, God the Most High. I’ve found myself without anyone or anything, not even my dignity. But I feel strong in the knowledge that Jesus loves me and looks over my loved ones, who I haven’t seen in years because they can’t afford to come and see me. A 1,000km journey is too expensive for them. I love them so much and they love me too but this separation, this distance weighs on both sides, weighs on our souls. So many times I’m unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel because I’m so blinded by rage and sorrow. You sent me a radio handset and a rosary. I’m asking for another rosary. Mine went missing during a dark time when my faith was wavering. I’m sorry that I got lost for a few months but now I’m trying to find myself again, at 28-years-old, after 10 years in prison. Easter is coming, the resurrection of Our Lord. I feel it and will feel it even more the closer it gets. I wish so much that, for Easter, Jesus would make me back into the happy creature, spiritually free and happy, that He planned me to be when He gave me life in my mother’s womb. Andrea, Padua Correctional Facility

“Let’s Ask the Lord for the Strength to Keep us from Making Mistakes” The Lord’s birth brings peace to the world, less wickedness to men, and a cleaner conscience to all of us who have made mistakes and are rightly paying for what we’ve done. But let’s ask the Lord for the strength to carry on and above all to keep from making mistakes, not just for ourselves but also for those around us so that we don’t offend them or do ill to another. As for me, I humbly ask forgiveness from the Lord and those whom I’ve hurt. It was with great joy and emotion that I got your Christmas package with the greeting cards, two booklets, and your affection and kinship. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sending me, through Sr. Piera, the radio handset with the rosary and prayer booklet. About that, you reached a hidden part of my heat that I’ve had since I was young when I went to Mass and was closer to the Church and to prayer. Then, as the years went by, I lost everything. Now I carefully follow Jesus’ Word and pray—saying the rosary alone in my cell as the Blessed Virgin taught and encourages us to do. I pray in the morning and the evening. Thank you for what you do to alleviate our suffering through prayer, which many might think is time lost but for me is only time found. Above all, pray for me because, with my sickness, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to see the light. Unfortunately, I can’t accept that I’m becoming totally blind. I’m afraid, afraid of the dark. It’s like I can’t catch my breath. Giovanni, Pavia Correctional Facility

“You Are the Only Ones I Can Truly Call Friends Because You’ve Helped Me Find the True Path Toward God” I’m writing you to say thank you so very much. Thank Jesus for everything you’ve done for me. I’m so happy and content that you’re always close to me. With all your help I’ve been and am much better. You always give me the trust and courage to get through everything during all this time I’ve been in prison. Thanks to God and to you, my sentence has been shortened. I hope that God gives me a worthwhile life, full of value and that I may move forward without our great friend and savior Jesus and with Mary our Mother. You’re right when you say that this time that I’ve spent here in jail and this suffering will be useful in my life because I’ve truly understood how important Jesus is. There is one thing I know. When I get out I’m going to stay away from the bad friends I had before. I want to dedicate myself to my family and my work and not go back to the friends I had before. You are the only ones I can truly call friends because you’ve helped me find the true path toward God. You’ve been much more than friends for me. God willing, I’ll soon be out of prison and be entrusted to social services for probation. I don’t know anything but I believe that everything will turn out all right in Jesus. I beg you, please pray for me. I pray too because the signs of God in my life are strong. Jesus has already given me so much in my life. I will never stop thanking Him for everything he’s done for us. With much love, your friend, Andrei, Biella Correctional Facility

“Please Think of Me with a Smile” Your radio handset came before your letter and I’m infinitely grateful because you’ve given me back that ray of light that I was deeply connected to. Now I can go back to listening to your voice, which gives me so much comfort and hope. I want to tell you something else that is mine alone and perhaps is why I’m suffering so much. I’m a father, an actual father, who, unfortunately, has let his own son down, putting myself in the worst place someone can be. My son is almost 12 and this year he’s being confirmed. Without wanting to lie to him I promised that I would be at that important event and now I have to tell him I won’t be there, but he will think I’ve lied. I’ve never lied to my son because I was a kid once too and I know what it means to be brushed off. But today I felt like the biggest liar in the world because, hard as I tried, I couldn’t get furlough, so I won’t be there. I won’t even be there in the form of a little gift. I haven’t seen him in years and this hurts so badly but I trust in God because I know that soon this nightmare will end and I will go back to fill the void that has opened up until now. Thank you so much, Fr. Livio, for the infinite attention you give us with your prayers and solidarity. And many thanks to those who, through their letters, help alleviate my dark moments, with the good advice of faith and prayer because it manages to make my world a wonderful place to live in. Please think of me with a smile. It’s the most sincere way I am with everyone to get them to remember me. Donato’s first letter, Porto Azzurro, Elba Prison

“I Love Life, God, and my Neighbor Differently Now, More Intensely” My dear friends at Radio Maria, Today I was so happy to get your letter that had two precious gifts for my son. You can’t imagine how much pleasure your gift gave me. It was an enormously sincere and kind gesture. I’m sure that my little boy will appreciate it. I immediately sent him your gifts and, as usual, wrote a short letter. I’ve always believed in God and talk to Him in all my prayers. I confessed my sin to Him. I turn to God at any time, day or night if necessary, and do penance on Fridays to show my gratitude. The news from the probationary judge in Livorno has given me great strength and I’m truly happy to tell you at Radio Maria about it. What’s happening? I was given a prize furlough to spend on Elba. I will be out from 20 to 28 July. This is just the latest demonstration of trust that I will have to give the judge and will show my good intentions by showing how much I want and believe that I can be reinserted into the social fabric. Thanks to your constant support I’ve been able to have this first symbolic contact with the world outside these walls. I’ve thus achieved a perfect balance and the right serenity that I wanted for so long but so rarely had. This experience in prison has really changed me, but for the better. Now I appreciate every single thing more, even small gestures. I love life, God, and my neighbor differently now, more intensely. I’ve learned not to take anything for granted and am more lenient with others. I feel very close to you and am infinitely grateful. May God watch over all of us. Donato’s second letter, Porto Azzurro, Elba Prison

“I’m Getting Out of Here a Free Man” I’m excited to write you this letter because everything I have to tell is good news. As for the requests I made to the probationary judge in August about a special penal procedure that could be applied to my sentence—they were accepted. The release date for the end of my prison term, therefore, is right around the corner. Finally, I’ve come to the end of my troubles with the law and I’m getting out of here a free man, without any restrictions or probation, free. For me, that’s very important. These are difficult days for me and, like a shield of strength, I pray. I pray continually because it fills me up. The things I do during the day always make me feel that Jesus’ dear Mother is close to me. I’ve spoken more with the prison chaplain because I feel the need to make a spiritual journey when I get out of here. I trust in Mary that she will put the right people on my path who can help me in my journey. Outside of prison the rhythm of life is faster and there will be a lot of distractions, but I trust in prayer to remain faithful to what I feel. During my incarceration, prayer always gave me strength. Even if I still have a lot of weight to bear, for a while now my heart has been lighter. Thank you for the prayers you’ve said for me. I feel they’re the most beautiful gift I’ve ever been given. Marcello, Bolzano Correctional Facility

Gianluca’s Story This series of letters, which were written over two years, show the stages of a journey from desperation to the joy of faith.

“I’m Writing You because I Need Help” My name is Gianluca. And I’ve been in prison for almost six years. I’m writing you because I need help. Spiritual and psychological help. I’m going through a bad time in my life. Depression is wearing me down physically but, even more so, psychologically. I’m really in a bad way. So many bad thoughts are going through my head: the sense of guilt and remorse weighing on my conscience is killing me. Often, I feel like ending it all, of hanging myself from the bars in my cell so I can stop this atrocious suffering. I feel like and think I’m a monster, incapable of loving, or satisfying anyone, or doing anything good. In my life I’ve only caused suffering and let people down. I don’t deserve to be loved. I believe in Jesus. Every day—or every night, to tell the truth—I lock myself in my cell’s bathroom. I kneel down, pray, and ask Jesus to forgive my sins. Every time I start to pray, I cry like a baby. I want to be a new person. But now I’ve resigned myself to it. I was born rotten, and I’ll die rotten. I’ve suffered a lot in my life. I’m only 34 but I look like I’m 60. I was in a boarding school from when I was three until I was 13. I’ve got parents but it’s like I never had any. Once I left school I lived on the streets. I always managed by myself. When I was 14 I met someone. Right away he showed me kindness and affection. He gave me that love that only a true parent can. He took advantage of my need for love and affection and sexually abused me. After a while I was able to escape his clutches. I left my hometown.

I met a girl and immediately fell in love with her I found a job. It seemed like my life had taken a positive turn. We had a beautiful child, but he was born with heart problems. When he was three, my little angel died. I started drinking and then using drugs. I lost my job and the woman I loved. The suffering and pain I felt from losing my son made me completely lose my head. I started committing crimes. I lived off the rails until I wound up in jail. I feel like, no I’m sure that my life will always be so full of suffering. Please pray for me, perhaps you can also ask other people to pray for me. I want to change, to turn my life around, but I can’t do it alone. I need support. Please ask your radio listeners to support me spiritually. I really hope there’ll be someone willing to help me, to make me understand that life isn’t just black and white, like it has been for me up to now. Pray for me a lot, Gianluca

“I Feel Bad Because my Remorse and Guilt Are Gnawing at my Conscience” Dear Radio Maria workers, It’s Gianluca writing you again from prison. It was with great joy and pleasure that I got your letter, radio handset, and rosary. First of all, I want to thank you so much. To be honest, it made me so happy to get your letter. It raised my spirits. It made me realize that, even from far away, you’re near me in thought and above all with your prayers. Like I wrote you in my previous letter, I’m going through a very bad time. I’m fighting with depression. I want to clarify that it’s not because I’ve been in jail for six years now. It’s more than fair that I’m in here because I made mistakes and it’s only right that I do the time I was given. I feel bad because my remorse and guilt are gnawing at my conscience. Carefully examining my life, I realized that I’ve always done evil, causing suffering and letting down the people close to me and not just them. I realized that I’ve never had love in my heart and that makes me feel like a monster. I’m suffering a lot but I’m aware that I deserve to suffer much more. No, I don’t even deserve to live at all. I’m not playing the part of victim or looking for compassion. I’m just expressing how little I think of myself. Maybe I do it to “vent” a little, to alleviate my pain. You wrote me that Jesus gave His life on the cross for me and died to save me from this sin and to make me a new person. But I think it’s very difficult that I might become a new person because I’m rotten inside. There is an old proverb that says: “Whoever is born round can’t die square.” If there’s no love in me, how can I ever be able to love? I disgust myself.

I’ve been wholeheartedly looking for Jesus for many years now. I’ve opened the door of my heart so that Christ can enter. But until today I haven’t felt close to Jesus. I’m sure that I’m the son of evil, the son of Satan, and I’ll NEVER find peace of mind. I’m also convinced that, if you knew what evil I’d caused, you would immediately cut off contact with me. I’m glad I realized how bad and evil I’ve been, so I tend to stay away from people because I’m afraid to hurt them. I prefer to stay shut up in my cell, away from everyone and everything. Gianluca

“I Wish Jesus Could Be my Only Medicine” I’m writing to you after receiving your letter and after having listened to your radio show “I Was in Prison…” During the live broadcast, Don Giacomo read part of my previous letter. I was really moved. I was locked in the bathroom of my cell and, while listening to the response to my letter, I felt overcome by an immense joy. I cried and am still crying. This time I’m not crying because I’m sad; my tears are tears of joy. For a moment, Don Giacomo made me feel loved. I am immensely grateful for making me experience this beautiful emotion. Please help me. Stay close to me. Don’t abandon me. I’m afraid, so afraid of being overwhelmed by bad thoughts, thoughts of suicide. I’m sick, very sick but here in prison I try to do everything possible not to show it because I don’t want to take anti-psychotic drugs. I took them for a while, but they didn’t give me any relief, just the opposite. I really wish Jesus could be my only medicine. Gianluca

After attempting suicide several times, Gianluca was transferred to another prison. The letter that we sent him was returned but a guard, with a profound sense of humanity, wrote his new address on the envelope.

“I No Longer Have the Strength to Suffer” Thank you for your letter. Once again you have given me concrete proof that you really care about us prisoners, considered the scum of society. You have “worried” about me—I don’t know how you found out that I was transferred to the Ancona Prison—and you wrote to me immediately. None of my family or friends would have done what you did for me. You take me into consideration and make me feel loved with your care for me. I wish I would have known you before I wound up in jail! I’m sure I wouldn’t have found myself in here if I had met people like you on my life’s journey. I was transferred because I tried to commit suicide several times in the prison where I was before. I didn’t do it to try to attract attention or for reasons of justice. I did it because I’m tired of living and I no longer have the strength to suffer My only comfort is that I know that many people are praying for me through you. Sometimes I think I hear their voices and I taste some crumb of Jesus’ love for me. Gianluca

“I Wish that All Prisoners Would Start on a Spiritual Journey” I’m doing pretty well physically, mentally, and above all spiritually. Each day I spend in these four walls I nourish my soul by reading the Bible and praying and I feel filled with a positive energy. I often speak of Jesus and His greatness to other inmates. Some of them make fun of me. At the beginning I suffered, but now I don’t care. In fact, I insist on talking about Jesus and how He is working in my life with those who mock me. I understood that, when they’re in a group, they are “bullies”, so I look for moments when I can talk to them when they’re alone. Some listen to me, so I go into their cells and read a few verses from the Bible that particularly impressed me. You have given me this serenity, this sense of peace, and this desire to evangelize with your broadcasts. You’ve helped me get through a bad time in my life and, above all, you have helped me discover the love of Jesus and Our Lady. I wish that all prisoners would start on a spiritual journey. Surely their suffering would be relieved because our Mother Mary and Jesus help us bear our cross. I’m praying a lot that you will always have the strength to assist prisoners, spiritually and otherwise too. Please don’t leave me. I want to share this beautiful journey with you. Gianluca

“Even though I’m Locked Up in Prison, I Feel FREE in Spirit and in my Mind” I want to let you know that, THANKS BE TO GOD, I’m doing VERY WELL psychologically. I’m sure that, thanks mostly to prayers, I am overcoming the “damned” depression that was suffocating me. Prayer helps me a lot. In this prison I’m working hard. I participate in many activities and manage the internal library. I can safely say that, since I’ve turned to the Lord, even though I’m locked up in prison, I feel FREE in spirit and in my mind. I was desperate because I felt lonely and abandoned. My natural family has lost interest in me for years. Thanks to you, I have a new family. I have parents, brothers and sisters, and friends. I listen to you every night and I pray with you. I think of you as angels sent by God and I’m finding heartfelt peace and joy. I am happy even though I’m incarcerated because I’m no longer alone. I have God in my heart and so many angels (all of you) who are close to me with your thoughts, your letters, and, above all, your prayers. It’s been a long time since I said something beautiful. Now I wholeheartedly feel I can say to you all: I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! Gianluca

“A Lot of People in this World Are Physically Free but Are Still Imprisoned” Often, since I’ve turned to the Lord, I have tried to image being in the shoes of someone who’s being robbed or beaten. When I identify with the victim, I realize all the evil I have done. I ask you with my whole heart to pray and I ask you to pray not just for us prisoners but mainly for the people we’ve harmed.

We pray for them so they don’t hate us, because its a bad life when you hate someone. I don’t expect them to forgive us, but I pray that they don’t have a heart that’s heavy with hatred and contempt. Even if you are locked up behind bars, if you want, you can feel “free”. God can do this and more! A lot of people in this world are physically free but are still imprisoned. Gianluca

“You Will Never Be Happy if You Don’t Give a Little Happiness Yourself” Thank you for sending me books and prayer booklets for the prison library, which I have been put in charge of. I set up an entire shelf and, wanting my companions in misfortune to know that they were gifts from you, I made a sign: “Donated by Radio Maria”, for the shelf. You will surely be pleased to know that the books you sent were “snapped up”. Thanks to you, most foreign prisoners can read some Christian books in their own language. This involves more work for me because they constantly ask for spiritual books and advice and I have to give witness to my conversion. But I do it gladly. I will always be grateful to you because, perhaps without even realizing it, you have given me so many values. One of them is to be available and supportive towards others. I’m not ashamed to tell you that I was very uncaring and selfish before. But your words were enough. Listening to your programs and the care you’ve shown me—which I surely didn’t deserve—changed me.

I often say, at the meetings I have with school children witnessing to my sinful past and the new life I’m starting, that selfishness and indifference is our ruin because you will never be happy if you don’t give a little happiness yourself. I’ve told you other times that I’m happy to be imprisoned because it was, indeed, my salvation. But above all because in prison I got to know your Radio and people like you, who helped me to be born again, especially spiritually. Perhaps subconsciously I’ve always looked for Jesus, in the most absurd and wrong ways, because I confess that when I finally accepted Him into my heart, into my life, I already imagined that it would upset my life in a positive way. I needed your voice to show me the true way to meet Jesus. Because it’s also true that loving Jesus means practicing His teachings, therefore it involves sacrifice and giving up a lot of things. It’s not easy to upend your life, also because the devil is always trying to make you fall back into sin. A spiritual journey of faith is an uphill battle with many obstacles and difficulties, but I’m sure that I’m not alone on this journey. I have the voice of your broadcasts and prayers supporting me. That’s why, even if I get depressed and discouraged a lot, I don’t give up, I don’t go back. On the contrary, I try to have more grit and I succeed because, in my prayers, I ask the Lord for help. I would really like the Lord to use me as an instrument to help others. It would be a way to redeem myself from the evil I’ve done in the past. In some ways, I already feel like God’s instrument because, despite seven years of incarceration served and another four to go, I always have a smile and a good word for the other inmates who come to ask me something. I know that whatever happens to me is God’s will and that He, in some

way, keeps me from evil. I ask all of Radio Maria’s listeners to pray for my companions and me so that we have the strength and the will to overcome the obstacles we encounter on our journey of redemption. Now we all want so much that a Mass said by our chaplain, Fr. Giancarlo, be broadcast from our prison on Radio Maria. Fr. Giancarlo is the one who comforts us and gives us the sacraments and shares the Gospel with us. We are praying for this. Gianluca

“He Is God of the Impossible” I couldn’t wait to get your letter. I’ve got some good things to tell you. I’ll start by saying that, from September, although I’ve still got four years left on my sentence, I could be able to serve the rest of my sentence outside of prison, in a halfway house. Then, my permissions were allowed and in November I will be able to go to Rome for the award ceremony of a literary contest that I participated in—I’m among the finalists! Also, the educational specialist here proposed that I get permission to go to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy. There will also be inmates from other prisons and we will meet the pope. I am full of joy and am preparing with a lot of prayer. I begin to see many glimmers of hope. I believe that the good God is fulfilling my, and your, prayers. I am taking advantage of this new light of mine to be a living witness among my incarcerated friends, so that they too may entrust their lives and open their hearts to Jesus. I often tell them: “Don’t despair. God will take care of you, protect you, and help you. He is God of the impossible.” Gianluca 50

Prayer Thoughts, Written by Inmates Francesco wrote to us while he was detained. He was discouraged, alone, and suffering from depression. He told us that his cellmate was released and, before leaving, wanted to give him the thing that was dearest to him in prison: his Radio Maria radio handset. So Francesco began to listen to us and then to write to us. He asked for Fr. Livio’s books. He read them and invariably passed them on to other inmates who were more in need of hope and faith. He felt very lonely. With the chaplain, we managed to find a volunteer who could drive Francesco’s wife, who lived far away and couldn’t talk with him, to visit him. Francesco’s words became increasingly intense and luminous. Then the news: on New Year’s Day, Francesco received Confirmation in prison. He sent us the video with pictures and a dedication. For the first time we saw his face, together with his godfather, the bishop, the chaplain, and other inmates. They were in a prison room, but it was clear that their hearts were free and full of light. During his detention, Francesco organized a prayer group with his fellow prisoners, trying to incorporate new arrivals who were experiencing a greater unease. In the group they prayed the Rosary and read and commented on the Gospel. They also found a way to make small pictures with images of Our Lady and Radio Maria to donate. He worked with the chaplain until he finished his sentence and returned to freedom when he gave us this beautiful Prayer of the Prisoner that he composed.

“I Don’t Want to Give Up on Being” My Lord Jesus Christ, I am a prisoner. I have more time than a Carthusian friar to pray to You, But you know how hard it is for a prisoner to pray to You. It is hard to pray to You and to believe When you feel abandoned by humanity. Even for You it was hard praying on the cross And You cried out in bitterness: “Why have you forsaken me?” That “why” on your lips was different… Because You were innocent! You were also accused, imprisoned, and convicted. You assured your condemned companion, repentant and confident, That he had a place in Paradise and You proclaimed him a saint. To You, Lord, a living victim of all the injustices Committed by the human race, I cry out. Accept it as my prayer and supplication. You pardon, forgive, and forget. But I don’t want anyone’s pity; I want to be believed, that I have been reborn, I don’t want to give up on being. I want to believe that at least You, The most just and innocent of those condemned to death throughout history, Will be able to understand my tears, my anger. You are the only thread of true hope. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Give me the faith of true freedom, which is within me, That no one can take from me Forever and ever. Amen. Francesco, Milan Bollate Correctional Facility

Andrei is a young man of 20, a foreigner who, shortly after arriving in Italy, without understanding much, found himself in jail for keeping the wrong company. He is very homesick. He writes: “Dear friends, every word I hear from you brings me closer to Our Lord. I was a stranger here and completely lost in sin and in despair, but through you the Lord has found me. I don’t feel so alone anymore, and I always have the courage that God gives me every day. With your help, I hope that I will soon be free again. I have felt something in me change when I realize that someone is close to me and loves me. Through the voice of your radio, God speaks to my heart and mind. I have written this prayer for you:

“My House, Divine Word” My house, divine word, sweet and warm like bread. Tears and chills come over me when I remember you. I’ve been thousands of places: how beautiful the world is! But nothing like in my sweet home. There, a rainbow lights every window. There, the sun is “mine” and love is “ours”. There, is a sweet kiss on the Holy Cross, Longer, softer, quieter, Like an eternal miracle. There, lying in the bosom of grass, Every heaviness sweetens And I remain for a long time, without thinking, in Divine silence. What a journey to get there! It always comes to mind and I miss it more and more, My sweet home. Andrei, Biella Correctional Facility

On the occasion of Radio Maria’s live broadcast of Sunday Mass from Modena’s Correctional Facility, at the end of the celebration, an inmate, on behalf of all the prisoners, read the prayer that he had composed as a commentary on the day’s Gospel reading.

“Father, Give Me not My Freedom, but Your Freedom” “All flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3:6). All flesh. Does it really say “all” flesh? So, mine too? Perhaps You don’t know what you’re saying. They say that You know everything. They call You the All-knowing. How can it be that You don’t know that I’ve killed, stolen, betrayed, and lied? Men, mere men, men like me, they all know it well. That’s why I find myself here, locked up behind walls and bars because I’m dangerous to others and myself. They call You God and You don’t know these things? Can flesh like this be saved? And what is salvation? For us who are here, in this desert that we’ve built, salvation is another place, not this one. It’s another time, tomorrow not today. Salvation is freedom and where there’s no freedom there can be no salvation. Yet I’ve felt that just where it’s most deserted, You come, not tomorrow but today. They say that You give freedom. But what freedom? Perhaps You’re talking about another freedom. My freedom was a prison and it led me to prison. My freedom, through tortured steps and impassable places, has thrown me over the precipice. My freedom has enchained me. Father, give me not my freedom, but Your freedom. My freedom fed on so many words, which were all empty. Give me the Word

of eternal life. My freedom fed on food that goes bad. Give me the Bread of Life. The thirst that burned inside me took water from human sources. Give me the water that doesn’t die. Only You Lord, are the Word, the Bread, and the Water. Only You are salvation. Only You are true life. Father, I’m not asking You to free me from jail or shorten my sentence. I’m not asking You for that little freedom. I want You to give me a greater freedom. Free me, my God, from myself. Free me from all of my illusory idols. Free me from all of my fears. Free me from all of my pettiness. Free me from everything that binds me to a past that is no longer or that projects me into a future that is not yet, preventing me from living today fully; the today where only You are. Free me from everything that leads me to separate and distance myself from my brothers, which is the same as distancing myself from You. Fill all my failings, smooth my rough edges, correct my mistakes, and make me able to love as You love, deeply, beyond superficial appearances. I’m here because I didn’t know how to love, and love is the only true freedom. An inmate, Modena Correctional Facility

Letters from Prison Chaplains “The entire prison community expresses its most sincere gratitude for your kind generosity, for what you have sent us to hold in our hands and our hearts. We are 250 men and women and 80% of us are Catholic Christians. I’m telling you this so you can understand how many people you have given joy to with your precious and caring contribution. Some people don’t have family members in Italy: you’ve made them feel closer to the outside world and that they haven’t been forgotten. You are always in our hearts and prayers. God bless you and your families and all the benefactors and listeners of your Radio. In the hope that God will reach the heart of every living being in this world, so we can make it better every day. Thanks again for everything. Affectionate greetings from the whole prison community,” Deacon, Trieste Correctional Facility “Thank you for everything you’ve sent. We will put everything at the disposal of our “detained” brothers so they can read something that helps them grow, helps them understand their mistakes, and nourishes their spirit. We’ve decided to give the radio handsets out at the Mass that will be celebrated by our bishop here in jail on 22 December. It will be a very welcome gift to all the prisoners who have long been waiting for one. The gifts will be given by the bishop to those who participate in the Mass. Thanks for everything you’ve sent us; it’s all for them.” Chaplain and religious sister, Bergamo Correctional Facility

“I believe that people who are incarcerated are experiencing one of the most difficult moments in the history of prisons from 1975 to today. Your attention consoles and encourages me, taking into account the great esteem I have for Radio Maria, which is concretely committed to active outreach. I consider your openness as a providential opportunity for all of us “prison priests” and I entrust myself to your generous prayers and to all those who listen to Radio Maria.” Chaplain, Palmi, Reggio Calabria Correctional Facility Today I received the materials that the Radio Maria family sent us with such great kindness. Thank you! With this gift, your service and your concrete generosity have brought our Mother’s tenderness to so many brothers, paying them a visit in prison with a gesture of surprising love. I will sing the Magnificat this evening because, like Elizabeth in her home, the Lord’s Mother has visited us. We also ask ourselves: ‘How does this happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?’ But, like Mary, we feel humble and proclaim the greatness of the Lord, thanks also to your service of fraternity to those in prison.” Chaplain, Oristano Correctional Facility “Many women who are imprisoned here struggle to read because they are illiterate or foreigners, so the radio remains the most immediate means of evangelization and comfort during the long hours of inactivity. The radio handsets are a beautiful gift that are delivered to everyone at Christmas, along with a prayer to Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, who is also honored by the Muslims who are incarcerated here.” Chaplain, Venice Women’s Prison

“We have a radio handset in each cell and keep some in reserve in case someone gets out and takes it with them. The religious sister who helps me told me about two conversions that occurred thanks to this precious gift. In particular, she told me about a prisoner who died in conditions of holiness after a long journey of conversion, thanks to listening to Radio Maria’s catechesis and prayers.” Chaplain, Genova Pontedecimo Correctional Facility “It’s wonderful going from cell to cell and seeing the inmates making use of your gifts. I don’t know how to thank you. It’s encouraging to know that you are not alone in this delicate and precious pastoral work.” Chaplain, Lecce Correctional Facility “During the month of May, Our Lady did wonderous things in the Secondigliano prison: meeting all the inmates, inviting them to convert, to pray, and to do penance. We participated in a Marian pilgrimage from cell to cell. The statue of the Madonna stopped in each ward, and the prisoners prayed the rosary. It was a great success because they asked to continue the experience and there are now four groups of prisoners who meet every Saturday to pray the rosary with your booklets and prayer beads. We gave the prisoners all the devotional materials you sent us: the radio handsets, the rosaries, the prayer booklets, the Gospels, and the holy cards. There are enough of us to fill an entire city and we always need gestures of charity like yours.” Chaplain, Naples Secondigliano Correctional Facility

These two letters from a prison chaplain summarize a beautiful “faith adventure” that played out when the radio handsets reached the fascinating—but remote, especially in winter—Favignana Island. We have about 150 inmates. It’s always difficult to find religious material on our island of Favignana. I presented your “Blessed Virgin” radio handsets to the prison administration and they were permitted. Your precious gifts will be distributed to the prisoners in this way: first, to those who have shown—by participating in the various initiatives of celebrations and catechesis—a desire to engage in prayer. Then, as a sign of missionary outreach, little by little, to others as a possibility that gives them a tool to open themselves to accepting the Word. We will then distribute them at Christmas Mass, when our bishop visits the prison. I wanted to share with you the wonder of several of my parishioners when they saw your little radio in the shape of Our Lady on the desk in my office. If you agree, I would also like to give them to our sick at Christmas. Currently we visit about 110 people in their homes and more than 90 are bedridden. With the help of a few volunteers, I would like to tune all the radios to Radio Maria’s station—which has a clear signal here in Favignana and is very popular—then memorize the channel with the appropriate button.” First letter, Chaplain, Favignana Prison I know that you sent us the material on time, but precisely that week, the sea was very rough, making it impossible to reach the island. As you know from our frequent exchange of messages, your gifts were blocked in Trapani’s depot and the courier

couldn’t make the delivery because no boats went out on that stretch in the storm. It happens in winter that we get isolated, but this time was a special occasion and we were all waiting for the radios to be delivered in time for the Christmas visits to the sick and the delivery to the prisoners during the Christmas Mass that the bishop was going to say. We also needed time for the materials to be checked by security and prepared. We prayed so much, and you did too, on the other side of Italy, but the weather forecast continued looking very bad. Every morning, my parishioners looked out full of hope, watching the sea, and came back desolate because of the storm. Then, on the ninth day of praying and at the beginning of Christmas week, a “great little” miracle happened. There was suddenly a day of calm seas and clear sky. The situation untangled, the delivery was made immediately, and everyone received their gift on time. This year at the Holy Night of Christmas on the island of Favignana, along with the sound of the bells you will hear Radio Maria’s voice. Second letter, Chaplain, Favignana Prison

Letters from Prison Wardens “Pray and Have Others Pray for Those in Prison, so that They Never Lose Their Dignity” After broadcasting Mass live from our prison in Forlì, which we do every year on Palm Sunday, I exchanged wishes of joy and peace for Easter. I want to express my thanks to all of you, also on behalf of all those living in prison, prisoners and workers, for being near to us in spirit. Thank you for the delightful radio handsets in the form of the Virgin and for the books that you gave us. I have a request of the great Radio Maria family: pray and have others pray for those in prison, so that they never lose their dignity, respect, or inner freedom. May love prevail, which manages to find torturous and painful ways to bring people back to the joy of living rather than a strict application of rules that, under a pretext of respecting others’ freedom, abandons the weak to cross abysses of despair by themselves. Pope Francis reminds us that we are custodians of people and things that are entrusted to us We need to pray so that we never lose the enthusiasm for carrying out our labor. Warden, Forlì Correctional Facility

“The Magnificat is Happening Now” “Warden, my mother is listening to me on Radio Maria because I told her that there is Mass from our jail today,” I was told by a young man as we were preparing for Mass. He was visibly excited, like all the other inmates present. I am moved too, being deeply struck by the silence and the atmosphere of recollection and prayer that accompanied the whole Mass. Mothers, grandmothers, and the families of the inmates and the workers here were with us through the radio, beyond the bars and walls that had magically been knocked down for the duration of the broadcast. The readings of the Mass and the prayers of the faithful that were read by the prisoners, seemed to me to be doubly rich with meaning, depth, and authenticity. The Gospel proclaimed here is truly a happy announcement. The Magnificat always touches me, but I ask myself: “When? When will it be that the poor will be fed and filled with good things, the powerful cast down, and the rich sent away with empty hands?” I understood during the Radio Maria Mass “now”: the Magnificat is happening now. The inmates are teaching it with Mary’s own voice. Warden, Marino del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno Correctional Facility

Letters from Radio Maria’s Mobile Studio Operators Mass live from in prison “God Conquers Again!” I want to share a precious experience with you that I, together with other volunteers, lived through yesterday during the live broadcast of Mass from the Uta Correctional Facility in Cagliari. Now I can really say that it went well! Wonderfully! All the more so because there were a great many complications up to the last minute. For instance, we couldn’t even use the radio as a monitor to verify the live feed—there was absolutely no radio signal—and that was only the least of our many problems. We couldn’t use a cell phone to communicate with the production studio (which, of course, had to be done using the network phone that I’d bought just for this occasion). We had to deal with the sudden absence of the chaplain who, for health reasons, had left after nine years of service. We had been working with him on the broadcast for a year. I had made five inspections and technical tests, facing seemingly insurmountable problems! We had to face not having a phone line and the impossibility of using the internet because it’s directly controlled by the Ministry of Justice and restricted from any other use. So, with a technical official and the company that had supplied the entire computer system, we laid an autonomous direct line that went through

the prison’s basements—which are off-limits except through prior, justified authorization—joined up with the “central brain” of the main building’s control center and connected the women’s building about 1000 meters away where we were broadcasting from. It was a real miracle! We only got the final go-ahead for the volunteers to enter on the day before, after I spoke with the security officer who had helped untangle the situation. Just a few days earlier, when the technical aspect was finally up and running, the chaplain was suddenly transferred to a monastery in Le Marche. But that wasn’t all; the deacon helping the chaplain hadn’t gotten the program for the broadcast so he had mixed up the starting time and the celebrant was missing. At the last moment, the deacon found another priest who was very young and an excellent presider. It seemed that the worst was over. We got to the prison very early in the afternoon on the day of the transmission. Because of the security checkers’ zeal, however, it took us almost an hour to go through the three control points, waiting as they opened all of the suitcases with the equipment that they spilled out and went over with a fine-tooth comb, asking explanations for everything that they thought was the least bit unusual or suspect. I was in a panic because the minutes were racing by. We had already missed the phone appointment that had been set up with the volunteer on duty in the production studio, which had been carefully arranged the day before. But finally, we got to the last gate of the women’s ward. In a flash we had the equipment set up. I immediately called production with the new, fixed phone over the land line that we were going to use for the live broadcast in just minutes. I got a hold of the

volunteer who had been unsuccessfully trying to call me for over 30 minutes. I confirmed the number and … at last, the miracle of a broadcast! Once again, it all fell in place. The singing of our incarcerated sisters, energetically accompanied by Pierangelo—an acclaimed volunteer from the first hour—on the guitar, cut through the blanket of tension that had seemed impenetrable. God conquers again! Our sisters suffering in prison received a drop of comfort from us, but we are the ones who received an invaluable treasure from them: the witness of those who are truly suffering yet still have the strength to sing and proclaim the Word of God. It was very moving. I left enriched as never before. It was the greatest, most beautiful reward I’ve ever received for all the difficulties we faced in bringing the voices of these inmates to the millions of people who received their announcement of salvation addressed to each listener. “Shout for joy, daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies” (Zeph 3:14–15). I give thanks to God that, through Radio Maria, I could experience the power of His work. With the help of simple means, of poor and fragile people like myself and the other volunteers, marvelous work can be accomplished. I hope that this short story can help show what goes on behind a live broadcast from a prison, which we can listen to as if it were the simplest thing in the world! Paolo, Cagliari Mobile Studio

“A Smile is Almost Always Inspired by Another Smile” Years ago, I turned on the radio and heard that Radio Maria needed volunteers for Perugia’s mobile studio, so I responded. How many churches, convents, monasteries, and shrines I contacted! Getting the priests’ ok, we went to visit the churches then went back to run tests for the transmissions. I was so happy when, early in the mornings, between 4:00 and 4:30, I would get up to go with the others to the place we would be broadcasting from live. Outside the streetlights would be lit and there would be a clear air, almost silvery because of the moon. The stars would sparkle in the heavens. The eyes of my soul were opened to a transcendent and infinite dimension. Usually, everything went smoothly. Now I’m going to tell you about a momentous experience in my life. It was when we broadcast Mass live from the prison of Spoleto. After all the preparation, the transmission was about to start. Suddenly, a lot of inmates entered, some with their rosaries in their hand. One of them wore it around his neck and cried… The broadcast went well. At the end, the young inmate who I had lent my favorite rosary to—which I had gotten in Fatima— came over to return it. I put it around his neck to give it to him. The young man smiled and we shook hands silently. After a couple of weeks, my pastor brought me a booklet with a black cover and a cross on it from the prison. It was made by hand. All of the pages were blank. Leafing through it I saw that, written on the last page of the notebook, was the sentence “A

smile is almost always inspired by another smile” and then “Thank you again”. Often, that boy’s face appears before my eyes and I’m reminded of the power of a smile. Besides the province of Perugia, we’ve also been granted coverage of the province of Rieti. Early in the morning, the “holy valley” where St. Francis of Assis founded several convents is almost always covered in a thick, white fog. Nothing is visible. But we always found the right road in order to arrive in time for the broadcasts. Certainly, Our Lady was accompanying us throughout the journeys. Unfortunately, due to reasons of health and age, I am no longer an active member of the mobile studio. I am very nostalgic for that wonderful time. Nanda, former volunteer, Perugia Mobile Studio

The “Mother of Mercy” Project Radio Maria’s Efforts to Bring the Proclamation of the Gospel to Prisons Radio Maria’s widespread presence throughout the nation and the simplicity of radio transmissions, which discreetly overcome walls and bars, allow us to easily, familiarly, and very incisively penetrate nearly all environments and spaces of individual and community life. We’ve realized that the human conditions that are apparently the most critical, such as incarceration in jail, are precious, even privileged areas of listening, consolation, and conversion. It is the Gospel’s “Blessed are you…” that we again see implemented in everyday reality! Only the Christian proclamation supports the challenge of creating an area of forgiveness and redemption, of freedom and happiness in every condition of life, even the most painful. Radio Maria’s little blue radio handsets, in the image of the Madonna and child, are an immediate reminder to pray and a message of tenderness, hope, and life. By giving out the radios through collaboration with the chaplains and other workers in the penal system, Radio Maria’s voice enters into the cells and goes straight to the hearts of many of the inmates. They can follow an entire day of prayer and meditation on Radio Maria. Receiving the radio, rosary, and prayer booklet, inmates feel

valued: that someone believes in them, that not everything inside them has died, that they are still able to choose the good. The radio handsets are designed to meet the prisons’ strict security measures: they are small in size, without an external antenna, battery-operated, and equipped with earphones. We have chosen to put ourselves at the service of the prison chaplains. Generally, we send the radios, rosaries, Gospels, and prayer booklets to the chaplains who take charge of distributing them so that they have the opportunities and tools to comfort the inmates. The prisoners are encouraged to start a journey that leads to participating in the sacraments, confession, and Sunday Mass. Another advantage is that distribution of the little radios is managed carefully, and the chaplains make sure that they go to those who really need them the most. The data is clear: 80% of the people who leave prison don’t return to criminal activities If they’ve experienced a conversion journey while serving their time. If they don’t take such a path, the percentages are reversed. At least once a month, Radio Maria’s Sunday Mass is broadcast live from a prison. It is a moment when the prisoners and staff are deeply involved, sometimes for months ahead of time, in preparing the songs, readings, and prayers. Radio Maria broadcasts the program “I Was in Prison and You Visited Me”, coordinated by Don Raffaele Grimaldi, Inspector General of Prison Chaplains, every month. Time after time, chaplains from around Italy take their turn at the microphone, involving wardens, sisters, volunteers, and other workers in the sector. The broadcasts also aim at being an apostolate of social

promotion, trying to raise awareness of the reality of prison life known on the outside, increasing information regarding and sensitivity toward these matters among our listeners to help break down the painful and dangerous barriers of indifference and prejudice. The reception of the Mother of Mercy project has exceeded all expectations. It has a presence, in varying degrees, in all of the over 230 penal institutes that are present in Italy. On the model developed in Italy, the project has also been extended abroad, through the 80 Radio Marias present around the world and gathered under the great umbrella of the World Family of Radio Maria Association.

Meditation “Your gaze is fixed upon me” I’m always so involved in looking at myself In the warped mirror of my sins that I forget Your eyes. You see me. I don’t know who I truly am. Every time I’m convinced that I will never deny You. Every time I’m overwhelmed by my own pride. Every time I’m ashamed to lift my eyes up again. How can you meet the eyes of someone who loves you when you’ve betrayed them? And meanwhile You set your gaze on me Not to judge or erase me, but to erase my sin. You look at me like that every day, hour, and minute of my life. You know me and see how I truly am. Until my death I’ll be naked before You, Stripped by love Caressed and healed by Your pierced hands. You see me for how I will be when, finally, I’ll say “Yes”. You see the light that I will be when I am living totally with You, In Your eyes I’m already walking in the eternity of the risen life. Crazed, I keep my eyes down Thinking that I’m my sin. Give me the tears that come from the amazement of finding out that I’m still loved. Every tear flows from the Source that has let me be reborn in You. Reopen my eyes so that I might meet Your gaze. Fra’ Giampaolo Possenti, Order of Friars Minor

“There is nothing more divine than a heart that opens itself to God’s love” (Fr. Livio Fanzaga)

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