Diocesan staff, parish volunteers, Pu‘a Foundation members and community benefactors gather in the living room of Mercy House Nov. 27 after the newly renovated transitional home was blessed by Bishop Larry Silva, center.
The diocese, working with social agencies and parishes, opens a transitional home for former women inmates
Story and photos by Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz
Hawaii Catholic Herald
A carved wooden sign posted outside the home was completed just in time for the official opening.
“Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees him. Shows us your face and we will be saved.”
Gathered in the living room of the “Mercy House” on Nov. 27, friends and benefactors of this special project prayed these words in unison.
The house — an old, unoccupied Windward Oahu home freshly renovated for the purpose of aiding women inmates transitioning back into the community — was blessed by Bishop Larry Silva and officially opened that morning.
The words from the prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee Year of Mercy underscored the commitment of faith, hope and charity poured out by those involved in Mercy House. A unique collaboration connected the diocese, community organizations and parish volunteers to create this safe haven.
The first Mercy House resident, an inmate in her 60s culminating her time at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua, is slated to move into Mercy House this month.
Her eyes shined Dec. 10 when she told the Hawaii Catholic Herald that she was “excited” for a new beginning and felt “special” to be selected for the opportunity.
More than a place to live
Blessed Sacrament Father Bob Stark, director of the diocesan Office for Social Ministry, described the work of accompanying women inmates in their journey of transition as “a mutually transformative experience.”
“Mercy House is more than a place to live,” Father Stark explained. “It is a home where supportive relationships can nourish the healing needed to overcome the trauma that led (women) to prison and be transformed to successfully navigate difficult daily struggles ahead.”
“Mercy House can help open all involved to God’s amazing grace of forgiving and healing,” he added.
For several years the Office for Social Ministry and a “Going Home Consortium” have been meeting to address transitional housing needs. Involved in the consortium are the diocesan prison ministry office, and HOPE Services Hawaii, a Catholic non-profit organization based on the Big Island that provides services to combat homelessness.
Also in this collaboration is the Pu‘a Foundation, a non-profit which, according to its website, focuses on “families affected by trauma and incarceration, with special emphasis on women, girls and Native Hawaiian females.”
The idea of Mercy House was sparked in the Office for Social Ministry after Bishop Silva suggested exploring how an empty diocesan property could be used for other services. A proposal was made for the project and approved in March.
Diocesan offices handling finance, real estate and facilities lent their expertise to the project proposal and logistics.
The Pu‘a Foundation teamed with HOPE Services Hawaii to develop a multifaceted transition program for Mercy House residents. This includes resources for employment, education and counseling.
Much symbolism
Father Stark said the opening of Mercy House on Nov. 27 held much symbolism. After the Mercy House blessing, Bishop Silva celebrated a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace to officially close the Year of Mercy in the Islands.
“Just as the cathedral door of the Jubilee Year of Mercy was closed, the diocese opened the door of Mercy House so the miracle of mercy will continue,” Father Stark said.
Mercy House this Christmas offers a new life for its first resident, and for those who contributed to its fruition many valuable lessons of faith.
“We believe in a God revealed in the human vulnerability we all share,” Father Stark said. “Christmastime reminds us that our God is revealed in a radically vulnerable child born in a stable. We are radically connected to God and each other through mercy.”
Toni Bissen, executive director of the Pu‘a Foundation, said Mercy House is an extension of the foundation’s commitment to restoring inmates’ lives through “trauma-informed care.” Crucial to this is developing community resources through “organizing, capacity-building and training.”
She noted that Pu‘a has commissioned skilled professionals to ensure Mercy House residents the best possible chances for success. A live-in “house leader” with experience in substance abuse recovery, and a “housing support specialist” working on her doctorate in social work have been tapped for the project.
Bissen, a lawyer by trade who now works full-time for Pu‘a, is a parishioner at Star of the Sea Church in Waialae-Kahala. She considers Mercy House a beautiful example of collective partnership and “discipleship.”
A devotee of St. Marianne Cope, Bissen said she is deeply inspired by the Franciscan nun’s service in restoring dignity to leprosy patients who were exiled in Kalaupapa, Molokai. Bissen hopes the Pu‘a Foundation can bring that kind of hope to women inmates in the modern day.
“The women have taught me the joy of transformation,” Bissen said. “It has brought the Gospel to life for me.”
Kimmy Takata will offer her help to Mercy House residents as Pu‘a Foundation’s “forensic peer specialist.” After crime and drugs led to her own time in prison, Takata turned her life around and is now a mentor to incarcerated women.
Transitioning out of prison is extremely difficult, Takata said. It becomes overwhelming when women go back into “regular life” and have to make daily decisions on their own.
“The struggle is real,” she explained. “Ten million things happen all at once when you get out.”
Having a resource like Mercy House, Takata said, helps put such worries at ease so its resident can focus on recovery and healing. She wants women inmates to know “there is hope out there.”
“So much people put in so much love” in Mercy House, she said. “I wish (the women inmates) could see what I see. I love those women with all my heart.”
Catholics and community members made Mercy House possible with gracious contributions of time, talent and treasure.
Thousand volunteer hours
Social ministry director Father Stark said more than 1,100 volunteer hours were logged in renovation of the house. This included onsite efforts by work line inmates from the Women’s Community Correctional Center. Other volunteers gave their time from various parishes, the military Catholic community and Knights of Columbus.
Furniture, building materials and appliances totaling thousands of dollars were donated as well. Parish volunteers also prepared snacks and lunches for those working on Mercy House.
Dave and Bernie Reeves of St. Ann Church, Kaneohe, were among the Mercy House volunteers. The couple has long been involved in Habitat for Humanity and has much experience in renovating homes for families in need.
At St. Ann, the Reeves have created a “Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee,” which facilitates volunteer opportunities for parishioners. This was the first time, however, Dave and Bernie volunteered on a project for women inmates.
“I was nervous about it,” Bernie Reeves said. “I was not sure what to expect. It was quite a change.”
Renovations included major cleaning and painting. Broken appliances and old furniture needed to be removed and thrown away. Drains were rebuilt, toilets replaced and even the kitchen sink required a total overhaul.
In the months it took to restore the house, the Reeves taught new skills to the women inmate workers. The inmates, in turn, Bernie Reeves said, “were very nice and extremely hard-working.”
“They’re the best help we had,” Dave Reeves said.
Dave Reeves said Mercy House is symbolic of the efforts its residents will make in transitioning from incarceration to community life. Volunteers had a hand in “raising it from the ashes,” he said, and “making it beautiful again.”
Their work on the house, Dave added, was “a prayer.”
“Some people pray with words, some people pray by doing things,” he explained. “We are the latter. It was our offering. It was a blessing.”
