This story is inspired by the acclaimed movie The Shawshank Redemption, the legend of a charismatic jailbird.) Fr. Vincent Perry was the parish priest of a remote church in a forgotten town in Wisconsin. He was so bored talking to an empty church that he had prolonged bouts of depression. So, one day, he simply got himself into jail, where he preferred to do his mission work among the toughest jailbirds in the toughest jailhouse with the toughest warden.
eastwind journals
‘True Tales’ Series – Volume 49
March 24, 2024 – Archives tr461
By Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com
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It was easy for him to get into jail. He poured whiskey on his shirt and staggered in the streets. Pretending to be drunk, he floored the policeman who confronted him. In jail, he wore his roman collar to ‘advertise’ that he was a priest. Inmates called him the hoodlum priest, or the ‘Hood’ for short. He had to floor another guard just to be able to stay longer in jail. He had to suffer two weeks in the can.
The Rosary Makers.
Hood talked to the warden, who was a Catholic, and asked if he could start a rosary-making class. It was approved right away. He taught the first class of 8 inmates how to make rosaries. The warden supplied the rosary-making tools and sacks of strings, beads, and crucifixes. Hood sold the rosaries at $1 each to a fellow priest from the nearby St. James Parish, and gave the income to the rosary makers. One guy could easily make 20 rosaries or $20 a day.
Hood started the morning rosary at the yard daily. Eventually, he was given permission to say Mass at the yard under the sun. At first, inmates ignored him. So he gave sticks of cigarette for those who attended mass. Their number dramatically swelled. Even in the rain, prisoners stayed for Mass. The toughness of life in jail somehow softened the hardest of hearts and sanctified inmates.
When news got around how much rosary makers were making, his class ballooned from 8 to 64 overnight. The warden frowned as he said he could give only so much for the cost of tools and raw materials. So, Hood asked a fellow priest at St. James Parish, who agreed to allocate a portion of Mass offerings to help fund the growing rosary project. Anticipating future expenses, he kept 10 cents per rosary made for future expenses. When income was good, he gave free rosaries to parishioners of St. James in return. He used wooden beads imported from the Philippines to make his rosary more attractive.
With semi-unlimited funds, he could expand at will. The class ballooned to 124 in a span of a week. Hood, the ‘rosary czar’, was idolized by many and was untouchable by bullies. The ‘rosary explosion’ was published by the Wisconsin Daily, and other jail houses across the entire continent started their own rosary classes. It became a national movement. Hood said, ‘See how the Blessed Virgin works.’
Mexican Music Maestro.
Every morning after mass at the yard, a Mexican loner played wailing blues with his harmonica to the delight of listeners. Many would gather around him at the yard for an impromptu concert every morning.
Then Hood a fantastic idea. One day, he sneaked the Mexican into the public address room, and made him play the harmonica ‘on the air’. The music echoed across the entire jail. Everyone heard the music – the warden, the guards, the inmates, the maintenance people, everyone. They all froze, listening to the melancholy tune.
The warden ordered the guards to stop the music. But Hood and the Mexican locked themselves in the public address room, and kept on playing. After an hour, the guards finally broke down the door and mauled Hood and the Mexican. They were sent to the dark dungeons for two weeks, but they were laughing. When they came out to the blinding daylight, squinting, all the inmates applauded.
Wearing his roman collar for effect, Hood talked to the vicious warden.
Hood – Sir, I would like to get permission to play harmonica music to the inmates.
Warden – Are you kidding? No way.
Hood – Sir, the music has a strange calming effect on them.
Warden – No.
Hood – I’m willing to bet it has the ability to stop killings and violence. Let’s do a survey after a month. If it has no effect, I lose, so put me in the dungeon for a whole month. But if I win, I would like permission to organize a prison blues band.
Warden – You’re willing to undergo a whole month in the can for this?
Hood – Yes, sir. You got nothing to lose. I have everything to lose. Actually, nothing.
Warden – Okay, call. It’s a deal.
And so, 10am to 11am was harmonica hour. Everyone stopped playing basketball. The Mexican had the entire jail in his hands. He started playing violent blues on top of melancholy tunes. Requests poured in. Inmates started dancing at the yard. Hood got an Irish inmate to play a second harmonica. The double harmonica morning concerts became a hit. Hood invited the St. James Parish priest and his staff to listen to the concerts. They were impressed.
True enough, after a month, a survey by the warden revealed that violence and killings ground to a halt. Hood got to organize his prison jazz band. He recruited musicians from the inmates. He bought an electric piano, a drum set, a sax, lead and bass guitars, and the sound systems. St. James raised the funds from the parishioners. When they heard a recording of the double harmonica concerts, they raised more funds to pay for the band members.
They called themselves the ‘Ray Charles Sextet’ in tribute to the great blues singer. Life was never the same again in that Wisconsin jail, thanks to the hoodlum priest. The band was invited by the Texas State Prison, and that was the beginning of a music movement in many jails, triggered by the hoodlum priest, who became a legend in many jails. When he served his sentence and was about to be released, he floored another guard.
My ways are harsh and soothing
My yoke is bitter and sweet
My paths are winding and straight
My Words are of fear and of love
I bring drought before the deluge
pain before deliverance
sickness before healing
hunger before nourishment
for it is in thirsting that you seek My life-giving water
it is in grieving that your soul is cleansed
it is in pain that I draw you close to Me
it is in loneliness that you seek Me to love
go forth and teach others then
of My cruelty and My kindness
My storm before the lull
My hell and My paradise
it is in suffering and in grief
that My kingdom comes to you
from eastwind collection of verses
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More Inspirational Articles – eastwindjournals.com.
FOR THOSE WHO NEED HEALING, spiritual or physical (depression, anxiety, loneliness, terminal cancer, covid, diabetes, etc.) – say an online healing prayer with one or both healers below. Terminal patients have been healed in cyberspace. All you need is to have faith and to ask the Lord –
1) Father Fernando Suarez – www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UP3LHBgtIc.
2) Sr. Raquel Reodica, RVM – www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAZcwNimBSg
Download free e-book ‘Healing Stories of Sr. Raquel’ at eastwindjournals.com/2021/08/13/healing-stories-of-sr-raquel-e-book-free-download/).
Author’s book. At age 26, the author (eastwind) drifted through Europe, hitchhiking 25,000 kilometers for three straight years. He wrote a book on his adventures, Wings and Wanderlust. He learned deep insights that radically changed his view of life, which he wants to share with readers looking for themselves or wanting to catch the wind. More about the book (get a copy) = https://eastwindjournals.com/2023/02/25/more-about-the-book-wings-and-wanderlust/
Author’s Credentials. Blogger – ex-Columnist (Inquirer) – Healing Ministry – ex-Professor (Ateneo University) – Documentary Producer-Director (freelance, ex-ABS-CBN, ex-TVS Tokyo) – ex-Broadcaster (Radio Veritas) – Facebook “Bernie V. Lopez Eastwind” / Pages “Eastwind Journeys and Journals” and “Mary Queen of Peace”.
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