Tom McCabe sits next to a statue titled “Forgiveness” in front of the Women’s Community Correctional Center. (Courtesy Catholic Stewardship Consultants)
By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
For over two decades, Tom McCabe has served in the prison ministry at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.
“The women are very appreciative of our visits,” said McCabe, a parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua.
McCabe, who is his parish’s prison ministry coordinator and serves at WCCC on a weekly basis, has lived out his faith through service since joining St. Anthony in 1999. His journey demonstrates how serving others can deepen one’s own faith and transform lives.
Soon after McCabe and his family moved to Hawaii, he joined St. Anthony’s music ministry. Having been involved in his previous parish, it was natural for him to step into serving in his new community.
When a fellow parishioner invited him to join the prison ministry at the women’s state prison in Kailua, McCabe stepped up. He has been serving in the ministry ever since.
“A friend of mine once told me that God doesn’t use ‘volunteers,’ he uses ‘recruits,’ and I think there is a lot of truth in that,” McCabe said. “Personally, inviting people to join a ministry is far more effective than waiting for someone to respond to a bulletin announcement or general invitation from the pulpit.”
McCabe’s role in the prison ministry began in 2001 with playing guitar for chapel services. Over time, he took on more leadership which involved coordinating weekly services, providing reflections on the readings and offering holy Communion to the inmates.
The ministry has evolved over the years, with the warden’s policies requiring smaller, more intimate groupings of women.
“Most of the women in the facility have had to deal with difficult life circumstances such as growing up in an abusive family situation or as a victim of domestic violence,” McCabe said. “So interacting with them has given me a deep appreciation for my many blessings from God.”
Through the prison ministry, McCabe’s own faith has grown as well.
“You’re kind of like God’s missionary for that group of people and that grows your faith,” he said. “And it’s always very fulfilling. You see God work. You don’t know what’s going to happen when you walk in — women might be crying or sharing some deep issues, and you see the Holy Spirit work in their lives. You see healing happening right in front of your eyes and God’s working.”
In addition to the prison ministry work, McCabe is a part of the leadership team for the Koolau branch of Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Hawaii, a new initiative centered on strengthening men’s roles in the family, church and community.
“A couple of years ago, a friend of mine at St. John Vianney Parish, Mike Wong, started inviting men over to his house once a month for dinner, some praise and worship, and to hear a guest speaker,” McCabe said. “We were literally meeting in his carport every time.”
After a few months, there were so many men gathering that they had to move to the church hall. They now meet monthly at one of the four churches on the windward side of Oahu, between Waimanalo, Kailua and Kaneohe. Around 40 to 60 men gather each month.
“In addition to that, we encourage the guys to get involved with a small group to meet more often,” McCabe said. “Right now we have six small groups where we can talk about what’s going on with our work, families and faith walk and pray for each other. There is a great need in our church for men to grow in discipleship to exercise their faith.”
McCabe believes that service to the church is a calling for each one of us.
“Serving in a ministry lets you give of yourself to others, which is ultimately how you find joy and fulfillment,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’ I don’t think he was just talking about martyrdom, but also about daily dying to self.
“Serving with others in ministry is how we build a faith community. Our church is supposed to be much more than just a place we go on Sundays. Ministry is where you can put your faith in practice.”
