Cardinal Blase Cupich joins jail detainees for Christmas Mass

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich joined detainees at the Cook County Jail on Christmas morning to celebrate Mass and urge them to put aside fear and embrace their humanity.

“It’s important for us to embrace and accept our humanity,” he said. “Not to be afraid of it. Not to be afraid of the fact that just because we have made mistakes in life, that we give up on ourselves. But that we all share a common humanity.”

The Christmas morning Mass at the jail is an annual event for Cupich, who sought to use it to remind the men who were spending the holiday in jail that they were not forgotten. Drawing attention to the TV cameras along the walls of the room where Mass was being held, he said their presence was a reminder that everyone is included in the holiday celebrations.

“I hope that they come away with the sense that they’re part of the human family,” Cupich said afterward. “Their liberties are restricted and taken away, but their humanity should never be taken away.”

Spending time with people who are in jail, or sick, or who are poor is an important reminder of someone’s own frailty, mistakes and limitations, he said. Also important is allowing those in jail another chance to belong to a community once their case has been adjudicated and their time served, or they might find themselves in desperate situations that lead to more mistakes, he said.

The Mass opened with a loud “hallelujah” from Marilyn Massey with Kolbe House, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s jail ministry, which organized the event. It was met with enthusiastic applause from the gathered men.

Dressed in sneakers and tan uniforms bearing the letters “DOC” on the back, they joined the cardinal, the Chicago Black Catholic Choir and attendees with Kolbe House in songs and scripture readings in both English and Spanish. Cook County Sheriff’s employees lined the walls, broadcasts from their radios occasionally crackling over the service.

“No matter where we are or what our circumstances are, nobody should be left aside,” Cupich told the gathered men.

Cupich delivered his message standing in front of a sterile white wall with narrow window slits, with flags draped behind him representing the United States, Illinois and Cook County.

People aren’t perfect, Cupich said, but letting go of fear of being human can make them more tolerant of others’ failures and mistakes. It can help people become more generous, and instill a sense of joy, he said.

Cupich also offered prayers for those at the Cook County Jail and their families. He prayed for those, especially children, who are sick, those who are mourning and those who are experiencing difficulty. He offered prayers for “peace in the world, especially in those areas that are war-torn, and there are many conflicts in which violence is visited on people.”

Earlier, Pope Francis, in his traditional Christmas message in Vatican City, also addressed conflict in the world, urging “all people of all nations” to find courage during the Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.

In Chicago, the morning Mass at jail was set to be followed by service organized by Rainbow PUSH, the civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

As the Cardinal’s service neared an end, the men at the county jail turned to each other, shook hands and wished each other peace, before taking communion.

Then, row by row, they filed out from between the blue plastic chairs and left the room.

The Associated Press contributed