Chaplain and Program Coordinator, Amicus/Sisters Helping Sisters
Photo credit: Swaying Pines
How did you first become connected with Amicus?
I connected with Amicus through Social Justice CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) and Laura Thelander, VOA MN/WI’s Director for Racial Justice and Spiritual Care. As a student pursuing my Master of Divinity, I needed to find a location to put in my hours of practice for spiritual care. Laura, through VOA, connected me with Amicus and I was placed in the Sisters Helping Sisters program. I fulfilled my hours for chaplaincy and continued volunteering because I loved the work.
What are you most excited about in your new role?
I’m most excited about being able to work with people who are incarcerated and justice-impacted. For me, this work is where I encounter hope, wisdom, and stories of personal transformation. It’s a privilege to do work that I consider both meaningful and sacred.
Women face unique challenges during incarceration and reentry. What are some of those unique challenges and how does Sisters Helping Sisters help empower women to face them?
Race, gender, sexuality, and social class all play a significant role in the challenges of incarceration. In 1970, there were an average of 48 women incarcerated at Shakopee. As of October 10, 2023, there are 562 women being housed in Shakopee. The rate of women being involved in the justice system has increased at twice the rate of men. Along with that, many, if not most of the women have children which means that the impact of incarceration is far reaching.
Sisters Helping Sisters helps women begin their journey of transitioning out of prison by helping with many skills, including empowerment, relationships, decision making as well as helping find resources like employment, housing, and basic needs. There is a lot of work that the women are doing to prepare for all the challenges that await them post-incarceration and we get to come alongside of them and support their efforts.
As a chaplain with Amicus, how do see the role of spirituality in community justice work?
For me, the work of chaplaincy is tending to each person's spiritual care. Humans are spiritual beings, so caring for the whole human requires care for their spirituality. In community justice, care for our spirituality often gets forgotten because it can be seen as a luxury instead of a necessity. Imagine being placed outside of your community and losing access to the spiritual resources we have access to regularly, like places of worship, books, retreats, music, and movement. For people who are justice-impacted, the barriers and lack of access to spiritual resources are significant. Anyone who is involved with the prison system encounters violence and trauma regularly. Providing care, resources, and ways to process this is part of the work of chaplaincy.
In what ways do you rest and recharge to do this challenging work?
Good boundaries! I burned out of my first career, and I don’t ever want to do that again. Spending time with my family, getting outside, laughing whenever possible, and listening to great podcasts are recharging for me.
What is one fun thing that most readers don't know about you?
I co-lead a non-profit called 40 Orchards where we have a podcast! Even though both of my jobs could easily be full time work, I love splitting my time between these two as I am passionate about both.