Hidden, but not forgotten

Archbishop Gregory Aymond used Holy Week to visit and pray with those who are incarcerated.
On Holy Thursday, following the lead of Pope Francis, he washed the feet of nine teenagers at Jefferson Parish’s Rivarde Juvenile Detention Facility in Harvey, left.

Then, on Good Friday, he led three dozen inmates at Orleans Parish Prison in the Stations of the Cross, above right. At each gathering, the archbishop said while the past cannot be undone, his prayer was that inmates know that nothing they have done is beyond God’s forgiveness. “Sometimes, we say, ‘Well I did this and I did that, I committed this sin and that sin.’ There is nothing – nothing – in the world that Jesus will not forgive. Nothing. And so, he comes to wash your feet – and every one of us – in light of our weaknesses.” Archbishop Aymond says he hopes to incorporate prison visits into his annual Holy Week observance. The archbishop told the Orleans Parish Prison inmates: “Jesus says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. You are not alone. Let go of the past and come with me to new life.’”