PRISON STORYKairos was born out of the Catholic Cursillo movement. Ourroots spread into denominational Cursillos and the numerousecumenical three-day short-courses derived from thatbeginning. Many are drawn to thisministry because of a burning desirefor apostolic action, a fire ignited intheir souls while attending one ofthese weekends.
We satisfy our desire for apostolicaction in diverse ways. Each findshis own avenue apostolic action.
We were wooed into prisonministry. Kairos volunteers represent only a small percentageof those who attend these "short-courses in Christianity", butwe feel particularly blessed. All who work in Kairos testify tothe fact that God's presence is felt in prison as nowhere else.
God seems to reserve a special gift of warmth for us as weattempt to do His will among the incarcerated. The Holy Spiritmoves our hearts and minds on these Kairos weekends moreprofoundly than at other times in our experience. Each Kairosevent is a new growth experience in love and union withChrist. Kairos volunteers have long pondered the holymysteries which make this phenomenon so pervasive.., and sodependable.
A story recently came to Kairos which perhaps revealssomething of the special connection we have inherited.
This story takes place in Palma, Majorca in 1949.A group of young men, of the Spanish Action Movement, wereattempting to launch, what they believed would be a wonderfulapostolic work, to counter the un-Christian world they wereliving in. They had worked long and hard, but all their effortshad been futile. Each day seemed worse than the last. They hadbecome desperate, and were on the point of giving the wholeidea up when one of the laymen received an unexpected call. Itwas the Chaplain of the local prison, asking for a couple ofvolunteers to come to the prison and help him with a difficultproblem.
Two young men in the condemned cell would have nothing todo with him, and his only hope was to try and approach themthrough laymen. The young man hastily called a friend andafter prayer to overcome their fear of entering the prison, thetwo men went inside to join the Chaplain. He took them to thecondemned where the prisoners sat playing cards with theirguards, who as prison rules laid down, must stay in the cellwith the condemned men on the last night before execution.
Their cell was littered with pornographic magazines, and thewall plastered salacious with pin-ups. The condemned menseemed bent only on swapping dirty stories and gambling thenight away.
One of the two laymen, Eduardo Bonnin, told how they firstasked the Governor's permission to take the place of the guards- and when this had been granted, they started talking to thetwo prisoners, gradually winning them around until eventually,Edurado said to them, "we came here to ask a favor of you." Atthis the two laughed loud and long. "A favor"? Don't yourealize later this morning ...,"And he made a gesture of garroting the other. "But this issomething you can do" said Bonnin, "We only want you torecommend something to the Lord for us. You are the onlypeople we have met who know when they will be going to meetthe Lord face to face. We want you to say something to Him.
We feel it is urgent. Neither the Pope, or Kings, nor rich orpoor men, know when you will be appearing before the Throneof God. We have this wonderful apostolic project, from whichwe expect great fruits - but we have failed miserably, so far, toget it going. We want you to ask the Lord to help us." AndBonnin proceeded to explain their apostolic hopes andanxieties. As the night wore on they spoke of Christ, of Hislove and mercy. They spoke of how the Good Thief had"stolen heaven" and of forgiveness.
In the early hours of the morning, the Chaplain heard theirconfessions, and held a private mass for the two inmates,Bonnin and his friend, all receiving Eucharist. When invited tohave breakfast with the condemned men, Bonnin could not eat.
He was too nervous. A short while later they were led to thegarroting post. One of them cried out for Eduardo Bonnin, andEduardo told of how that man died, holding Eduardo's crucifixin one hand, and clasping Eduardo's hand with the other, as heknelt beside him, praying for him. The executioners placed thehood over the man's head and affixed the chain which wouldbreak his neck with a sudden jerk.
One of those men wrote to his family that night, and this is atranslation from the Spanish - preserving, as far as possible, thegrammar and simplicity of the original.
Palma, Majorca, 1:00 a.m. Jan. 28th 1949Dearest Parents and Brothers, so close to my heart.
These lines I am writing, are the last you will receive fromyour son and brother. I am writing them more with my heartthan my pen. They are dictated by filial love, and in the hopeyou will keep them all the days of your life. I am in thecondemned cell, and only a few hours remain before I leavethis life of misery and tears. But God has given me the greatmercy of letting me put my soul in order, and to prepare myselffor a happiness that has no endAfter my life of ill-luck, and having been a victim of mysurroundings, God has granted me the extra- ordinary grace ofenabling me to recognize my past faults, and of making mypeace with him for he has given me this opportunity to put afull-stop at the end of my sins with a sincere confession, whichhas opened, little by little, the Gates of Heaven.
It only remains for me to ask your pardon, for all theheartaches I gave you during my life, with my straying - and torecommend to my brothers, whom 1 love with all my heart,never to stray from the path of duty which you, my parents,taught us to follow with your good advice.
I never remembered you with such affection as at this moment,and 1 hope that these lines, written at the culminating momentof my life, to ask your pardon for all the displeasure I havegiven you during my life, and also to serve as advice for mybrothers, which I hope they will keep before them all theirlives - that they may serve God as He expects His most faithfulservants to do.The end of my career has arrived. Praise be to God, who gaveme these moments to ransom my life, and to die as do thosemen who have faith. Only faith gives strength and energy totriumph over so great a difficulty as this.
If you want news of my last moments, write to our Chaplain,who is called Father Jose Maria Fabian- Rubio. He will tellyou about the last hours spent by me in this world.
Be sure I am going to Heaven to pray for you, my dearestparents and brothers. I await you in Heaven - there we will livehappily for all eternity. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.
Signed with my own hand, Your Son and Brother who awaitsyou in heaven,s/sThese two lads were executed on the morning of January 28,1949. The Apostolic work which Eduardo Bonnin and hiscompanions had in hand, and which they had beenunsuccessful in launching, despite all their trials and effortsdating back to 1944, was the 'Cursillo in Christianity'. (Walk toEmmaus, Via de Cristo, and others modeled after this)The first Cursillo, as we know it, took place in January of1949. After the death of those two poor men the Cursillomovement took off to virtually cover the earth. Surely, Jesussaid to them, as He said to the thief who was crucified withHim, "Today you will be with me in Paradise".
In the Summer of 1992, the National Cursillo Encounter tookplace in Detroit, Michigan. Eduardo Bonnin was scheduled toattend as a featured speaker and participant.Joe Guitis, one of the Roman Catholic founders of Kairos,notified the Kairos national office that he planned to attend andwanted to ask Eduardo about the "Prison Story". He alsowanted to present Bonnin with a Kairos Manual and thank himfor his contributions to what has become a powerful ministryin prisons.
Joe was received by Bonnin and read him our version of thestory, using the two accompanying priests as interpreters.
Bonnin verified every part of the story, making only minorchanges. During his commentary on the story, Bonninmentioned that he still wore the cross the young condemnedman held at his execution. Joe asked permission to kiss thatcross and the permission was very knowingly granted.
Thank You Jesus for the forgiveness you diedfor.......................

www.KairosTexas.org