News

Nun ministers to inmates by discussing her bad decisions

Sister Miriam spends two days a week at Newport prison

Published: November 28, 2009   

By Malea Hargett
Editor

Sister Miriam Burns, OSB, prays with several inmates at the McPherson Unit in Newport. The Benedictine sister has been volunteering there for the past six months.

Sister Miriam Burns, OSB, prays with several inmates at the McPherson Unit in Newport. The Benedictine sister has been volunteering there for the past six months.

At one point in her life, Sister Miriam Burns, OSB, was a lot more like the women she ministers to each week in prison than she is the sisters at Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro.

For the past six months, Sister Miriam has dedicated her ministry to serving the women at the McPherson Unit, a state prison in Newport. She is one of nine Catholics who are certified religious assistants through the Arkansas Department of Correction. She coordinates her ministry through Tom Navin, Catholic Charities' prison ministry director.

She also participates in Christian prison retreats similar to Cursillo called Kairos two times a year at the McPherson Unit. She was recently appointed to the local Kairos advisory board.

"When I minister at the prison, I see myself in them. I know that any of their stories could have been me," she said.

As a CRA, Sister Miriam is given clearance to walk freely among the barracks every Tuesday and Friday to talk to any of the 600 prisoners sentenced to the unit.

"I go into all the barrack areas, and I try to visit every barracks before I leave on Friday," she said. "I am available. I am getting to know a lot of women now because there are so many that are open to me. It is unbelievable. I am relating to so many of them."

The native of El Dorado admits she had a "very hard" childhood. She left home when she was 17 years old and jumped around to a variety of things, including going to college, working as a waitress, joining the Air Force and getting married. She strayed from her Catholic upbringing and admits she made some bad decisions.

"I didn't believe in God. I had no faith," she said.

Privately, while visiting the inmates, she shares details of her past before she joined the convent when she was almost 32 years old.

"I know that the best thing I can do for them is 'listen, listen, love, love' -- our call in Kairo's prison retreats," she said. "I try to do that every time I am with them. When I hear them speak about the poor choices they have made, it calls to mind my own. Sometimes I feel it helps tremendously to reveal some of my past, poor choices. When I do, it seems like hearts are opened and 'walls come tumbling down.' They are moved by that, and God seems to work quickly to touch their own lives and draw them closer to him to believe in his great mercy and love for them and especially to give them hope."

Navin said, "Finally we have a certified religious assistant to reach out and spend time with the women inmates. She is full of life. She exudes hope and friendliness to a group that has a hard time making friends."

Now at 62 years old, Sister Miriam said she is working in a ministry that fits her perfectly. Since joining the convent in 1979, she has worked as a religion teacher, director of religious education, the convent's formation director, vocations director, youth minister and pastoral assistant.

"Many of these women have never felt loved in their whole life," she said. "When they experience God's mercy, forgiveness and love, as I did over 30 years ago, they too begin to change. It is a joy for me to go visit the inmates and see God's presence working there. It is also a great joy when he allows me to be a part of that."

Sister Miriam said many of the inmates are interested in talking to the nun walking around in a white and black habit. They sincerely want questions about the Christian and Catholic faith answered. She is able to give Bibles and rosaries to the Catholic inmates, and she is encouraging women who are interested in returning to the faith or becoming Catholic to join the RCIA program. Father Paul Worm of Batesville comes each Thursday night to celebrate Mass and hear confessions.

Most of the time Sister Miriam's ministry is just her presence as a good and holy woman who wants to help these women change their lives.

"God saved me from myself," she said.

She has a general message she likes to deliver to each woman.

"When I got out on my own, I made my own choices and I made a lot of wrong choices," she tells them. "It's your choice; you've got to learn to make better choices or you are just going to come right back here... I promise you there is something better. This happiness comes from knowing my God."

Sister Miriam said her return to the Catholic faith began after she got divorced in the 1970s and started to pray and go to Mass again.

"It was at the age of 30 when I first started looking closely at God and saw that I never had a personal relationship with him," she said. "I began understanding what all he had done for me, despite my many, many, poor choices in my life. I began to see that I was my own worst enemy, not people in my past or present. I realized that, if it had not of been for the unlimited grace and mercy of God, I would not have even been alive."

She decided to return to her hometown and began to look into joining a religious order. On Aug. 6, 1979, she was accepted as a candidate at Holy Angels Convent.

"I have been there ever since," she said.

She said she is thankful that prioress Sister Mary Ann Nuce, OSB, asked her to take on this new ministry.

"I taught religion for over 25 years with pay," she said. "Now my community is allowing me to spend many hours of travel and time at the prison -- all volunteer work. What an awesome responsibility, what an awesome privilege."