PBMR: the New Creation
Come Holy Spirit
by Mike Donovan, Volunteer Staff, pbmr
“Did you hear the great news, Mike? I just
talked to Jay’s mother, and she told me he beat his
case!” It was Jose calling me from the Illinois River
Correctional Center in Canton, Illinois. He’s 19 and
serving a 14-year sentence for aggravated battery/dis-
charge of a firearm.
Later that evening, I received a call from Mateo,
incarcerated at the Cook County Jail. He too was
elated to share the news of Jay’s “Not Guilty” verdict
on the charge of attempted murder. Mateo, age 20,
also is charged with attempted murder, and has been
fighting his case for over 3 years. He asked me if I was
going to visit Pablo soon. I told him I was, and he
reminded me to tell him to “keep his head up and tell
him I love him.” Pablo, age 19, is at an adult prison
in Mt. Sterling, Illinois serving a 31-year sentence for
murder.
Jay, Jose, Mateo, and Pablo met while they were
locked up at the Cook County Temporary Juvenile
Detention Center and were housed in the same pod.
That’s where I serve as a volunteer on Tuesday and
Thursday evenings. The boys all took part in our
ministry’s Confirmation class two years ago, and
then in the Confirmation liturgy with Cardinal Blase
Cupich presiding. Jay, Jose, and Pablo received the
sacrament. Mateo served as a reader since he was
already Confirmed.
The young men did not know one another prior to
entering the Detention Center. All came from differ-
ent neighborhoods and represented different crews
and gangs. On the streets, they were rivals or “ops,”
but while in jail they became best of friends. They