On May 20th we celebrated five years of accompanying our brothers returning home from prisons and jails. In these years many of us have witnessed, up close and personal, a dignity and nobility in the men we call brother and friend. We have watched and heard their stories, stories of pain and loneliness, and equally, stories of resilience and love. I’m sure I speak for so many of you when I say, “This is the good life” – to walk alongside these brothers of ours who often show us the way into a land of justice and mercy.
How can we in a relatively free and safe society create places of hospitality for those who have had very little freedom or safety? This was our question in the early days of JH. I hoped we might create what I came to think of as a de-incarcerated space or a place where Florida’s formerly incarcerated might form safe attachments over an unspecified amount of time and receive the long-term psychotherapeutic care they need. In those days, a few of us were caught up in daydreaming – it all seemed terribly practical and impractical at the same time. Practical because we knew the resources and people needed to support these men were out there and yet utterly impractical because we also knew the needs of these men were vast and wide.
Five years later I don’t think those of us involved in building this mission would have imagined the growth and adventures we have experienced these past five years. Undoubtedly, it would never have been possible without many of you!
Thank you, each of you, for your friendship, support, and willingness to join us on this journey.
— Fr. Dustin Feddon
