The following is the first of a two-part interview with Father George Williams, the Catholic Chaplain for San Quentin.
How did you come to work at San Quentin?
I had visited here a few times when Father Barber was the chaplain. At the time of those visits, I had no idea I’d ever be working here.
I came out here to talk with him about his programs here – to get some ideas to bring back to Massachusetts. I was impressed with the chapels here and the programs available.
I remember thinking how much I would like to work here. Then out of the blue in the summer of 2010, a Jesuit friend of mine in Los Angeles called and asked me if I would be interested in coming to San Quentin as a chaplain since Father Barber had by then decided to move on.
My immediate reaction was, “Of course!” And I joked with my community (who tend to be academics) that it was like getting a call from Harvard asking if I wanted a tenured position there. So it was really like an offer for the best job ever for me – and I jumped at the chance. The reaction back East was, “Oh, wow. San Quentin!”
My parent’s reaction was simple: “Are you insane?” They didn’t like the idea of their only son moving all the way out to California only to get shanked on his first day on the job (they watched too many “Lockdown” episodes).
So I was pretty excited and happy at the prospect of coming here – and a bit apprehensive of working on Death Row – not sure why. I guess I had visions of Hannibal Lecter or something. But the reality has been that I really enjoy working with the guys on Death Row and no one there is like Hannibal Lecter!
It wasn’t like anyone had to twist my arm to move to the Bay Area either – it is beautiful here, and as much as I love the city of Boston, I haven’t missed the weather back there. And I get back a few times a year to see people and spend time in Boston, so I don’t get homesick.
Actually after four years now, this area is beginning to feel more and more like home. San Quentin certainly does.
I decided to drive out here when I moved – to really make it a kind of spiritual pilgrimage – driving across the country slowly, over a few weeks, staying with friends along the way – including a week at a monastery in Colorado – a place I really love.
So it was a grace-filled and smooth transition from East to West, and I haven’t regretted it for a second. My hope is that I can now do 25-to-life here at San Quentin.
I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than work here and I’m incredibly grateful that God has given me this opportunity to do so. My four years here so far have truly been the best years of my life, so far … And that’s in no small part to the men in blue here who make working here such a joy.
What was your vision?
I don’t know if I had a clear vision about coming to San Quentin. I had been working in prison ministry for about 20 years. I started at Boston City Jail and slowly worked my way up to the state prison system as a chaplain in Massachusetts. While I have a deep love for this work, I found Massachusetts a pretty horrible system to work in as a chaplain. There was little in the way of rehabilitative programming in the state prisons. They were and are pretty bleak places.
I think my mental image of San Quentin was like most people on the East Coast have – a famous prison – Death Row, violent past, Johnny Cash and so on. It has a scary cache about it.
My vision for the Catholic Chapel here is that it be truly a house of God that people of all faiths (or no faith) can come to be spiritually fed, whatever their path.
How has being a Jesuit influenced ministry here?
One of the things that attracted me to the Jesuits (the official title of the order is “The Society of Jesus”) is that its members tend to be really smart men who have open minds and never stop learning.
Another thing that attracted me to the Jesuits was their emphasis on working with the poor and marginalized.
A quote that caught my attention early on was a statement they made about our faith: “The mission of the Society of Jesus today is the service of faith, of which the promotion of justice is an absolute requirement. For reconciliation with God demands the reconciliation of people with one anther.”
Looking back, I see how God has guided my choices – and led me to this work. The Christian churches haven’t always responded enough to prison ministry – the work has to be an expression of the Gospel – to go where the church is not, to serve those who society has neglected or rejected.
It just so happened that as I began my life as a Jesuit, the U.S. was already beginning a tragic move toward mass incarceration. At no time have there ever been so many Americans locked up in jails and prisons – and the churches for the most part haven’t mobilized to meet the needs of prisoners or those who work in prisons.
Part Two of this interview will be published in June.