Cardinal Cupich visits Cook dinner County Jail inmates for Christmas Mass: ‘There’s goodness in every of us. … All of us fail’

Since 2014, when he was put in as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich has celebrated Christmas Mass for people in custody at Cook dinner County Jail — besides in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Greater than 60 males from the jail’s Division 11, donned in beige and sporting blue surgical face masks, listened attentively as Cupich led them in prayer Sunday morning. After the second studying, in Spanish, Cupich spoke.

“Society ought to by no means deal with folks as if they’ll decide their entire life due to the issues that they’ve accomplished flawed. And nor ought to you could have that judgment about your life, or anybody else,” Cupich instructed the inmates. “There’s extra to us, there’s goodness in every certainly one of us, that typically is overshadowed by the errors we make. Christmas is a time to recollect these good qualities in our lives.”

Cupich had visited Lurie Kids’s Hospital on Saturday to hope and speak with sufferers and their households who couldn’t be house for the vacations. Throughout this go to, he mentioned, he got here to a realization.

A father — who wasn’t Catholic — requested Cupich to hope together with his daughter. Then the person requested Cupich if he knew why he’d invited him over to hope. Cupich mentioned he didn’t know.

“At any time when somebody visits a toddler, it’s a blessing. I wished to provide you this blessing,” the daddy instructed him, Cupich mentioned.

“So what I wish to let you know as we speak, is that coming right here just isn’t one thing that I’m doing for you. However you’re a reminder to me that the distinction between humanity just isn’t that nice, that each one of us fail,” Cupich instructed the inmates.

A refrain of “Merry Christmas” from attendees marked the top of Cupich’s homily. Throughout the signal of peace, inmates patted one another on the again and shared fist bumps. Violin notes led the Communion music, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

“By being right here with them, they provide me one thing and a reminder that, let’s face it, if our circumstances have been totally different in life, we in all probability wouldn’t be an excessive amount of totally different from the oldsters who’re right here. And so to allow them to know that they’re a part of humanity,” Cupich instructed the Tribune.

After Christmas Mass, Cupich was slated to have lunch with just a few inmates who’re a part of a program referred to as “Recipe for Change,” which gives Cook dinner County Jail inmates with culinary instruction, job expertise coaching and mentorship with the intention to put together them for employment upon reentry to society.

However Chef Bruno Abate — this system’s founder — was sick and the occasion needed to be canceled. So the cardinal’s plans modified.

“I’m gonna go house and take a nap as a result of I had Midnight Mass” at Holy Title Cathedral, Cupich mentioned. “I received to mattress round two o’clock and received up at seven. So I in all probability want a bit extra sleep.”

In purple shirts, chaplains from Kolbe Home additionally participated within the Christmas Mass. Kolbe Home is the Archdiocese of Chicago’s jail ministry of “compassion and presence” for these affected by incarceration.

“There must be a manner ahead of therapeutic and hope and reconciliation with the group and restoration, in order that they are often the great those that they’re referred to as to be, the great residents that many wish to be. So our our mission is to accompany folks on that journey,” mentioned MaryClare Birmingham, government director of Kolbe Home.

Birmingham echoed Cupich’s sentiment that errors don’t outline folks. “Each particular person is greater than the worst factor they’ve ever accomplished,” she mentioned.

adperez@chicagotribune.com