I arrived at the Florida State Prison at 8:30AM and went straight to the chapel. The Chaplain told me to go back to the baptismal font to be sure that it was in good working order. There had been no baptisms here for many years and the status of the font was unknown. It was a mess!. The floor of the font was covered in rust and needed to be thoroughly cleaned. It took more than an hour to clean it up and establish a flow of clean water to it. I proceeded to fill it with water so that when the priest arrived it would be ready.

The two men who were to be baptized were escorted from the Death Row to the chapel by armed guards. They were chained hand and foot and could only take very small shuffling steps. The Prison Warden had allocated one hour for the baptisms and I was praying that the font would be filled to an acceptable level before the priest’s arrival.

When the priest arrived he was escorted to the chapel and we spared no time in proceeding with the service. He layed out everything he needed and began to vest for the service. The prisoners were brought to the altar area and stood quietly waiting. There was a good kind of apprehension that could be seen on their faces as they had previously read about the Rite of Baptism and were both longing for the Grace they knew they would receive through this Mysterion. Both of these men had been in the catecumenate for about a year and had been looking forward to this day with excitement and wonder. I looked anxiously at the level of water in the font and thank God, it was finally filled.

It was interesting to observe the guards. Both were Protestant and knew nothing of the Orthodox Church. They were focused on their duties to watch the prisoners with a professional, watchful and disciplined resolve. They did not smile although they were quite courteous. You knew why they were there and, at the first, they established a certain somber tone to this unlikely gathering.

It was very quite in the chapel, which made the chanting of the priest and I more pronounced. Our voices echoed in the large room and filled it with a haunting sound that I know had never been heard there before. We began the service conscience of the precious little amount of time we had to perform the Rite but suddenly as we began, it seemed like time stopped and we calmly felt in our hearts that we had all the time we needed. All the time in the world!

Throughout the exorcisms you could see the expressions on the faces of the guards. They knew that this was a special Rite, one that they had never seen before. Their expression changed to one that was expressive of a piety deep within them that they didn’t know was there. You could feel the presence of God and but for the chanting, you could hear a pin drop in the chapel. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and the prisoners had tears of joy in their eyes.

When they entered the font, they went into the water with chains and all. At first it seemed a bit incongruous to see them entering the Baptismal Waters chained hand and foot, but as I looked with the eyes of the spirit, all I could see was men, made in the image of God, coming home to the Father’s House being washed of their sins on the way.

When the service ended, we all realized that more than an hour and a half had passed. Both of the guards stayed beyond their paid and scheduled time, without complaint. They were both more animated and spoke to both the priest and I with a genuine interest and respect, assuring us that the time didn’t matter and for us not to worry. They even bent the rules a bit by letting the priest accompany the inmates back to their cell block so that he could serve them communion.

The two newly illumined took the names of Theophan and Nektarios as their baptismal names and the looks on their faces made it all worth while. In their expressions you could almost hear the angels singing and the new life was evident in them.

This wonderful occasion took place not in an Orthodox Church, but in a Florida Prison in October of 2008. Both of these men continue to grow in their faith and pray diligently for the body of Christ. More baptisms are being scheduled and will take place soon.

Please pray for these Brothers in Christ and for those in the catecumenate, and please pray for the humble work of this ministry. There are many who contribute to this work. There are priests, monks and nuns, and volunteers who give of themselves to write to these men in prison. There are many who have donated money and books and fervent prayer for God to bless this work. Won’t you join with us as we celebrate, with humble adoration, they mighty work of Jesus in the hearts of men who have been essentially cast off from society. Many of these men have been abandoned by their own families long ago, but Our Lord has not abandoned them. He sends us to them. Won’t you please pray about coming with us, with your prayers, your donations, your precious time to write to these men? They are after all God’s Children, made with His own Hands, they are not junk! They are just like us, men who have found themselves in a Far Country, who have raised themselves up from the pig pen and are on the road back to the Father’s House. Can you not see The Father, running to them, to meet them, His Heart filled with Love and reconciliation? He wants us all to be His guests at the Banquet.

Matt 25:40

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

In Christ’s Mercy,
Seraphim