Cardinal Timothy Dolan visited Green Haven Correctional Facility on Monday, November 24, to celebrate Mass ahead of Thanksgiving. The Mass was held in St. Paul’s Chapel, built within the walls of the Stormville maximum security prison.

The Mass was well-attended, with many incarcerated individuals filling the pews along with prison administration, staff, and their families.

“Prison is no picnic. It isn’t meant to be, but there are certain times of year that are even tougher than usual… Whenever we have one of the holidays, it’s especially tough. You miss home. You miss families. You miss routine, and that’s why I wanted to be with you,” said the cardinal during his homily.

Cardinal Dolan imparted his support to the incarcerated throughout the year and especially during the holiday season. Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Daniel F. Martuscello III echoed this concern from the altar.

“Spirituality is critically important as you traverse incarceration and returning to our communities… But also leaning on one another as a congregation, as you pray to God, as you talk to your families and one another for support during the holidays,” Martuscello said.

After the Mass, the “Puppies Behind Bars” program showed Cardinal Dolan a black Labrador they had trained to pray. The dog went right up to the specially built pew that those in the program had made for them, and after a treat or two, had his paws together in reverence and head bowed before the cardinal.

The cardinal remained at the front of the chapel to meet each person who came to join him in celebration for Thanksgiving and offered his promise to make St. Patrick’s Cathedral one of their first stops after their time at Green Haven.

While at St. Paul’s Chapel, Cardinal Timothy Dolan also gave a blessing to their newly installed Stations of the Cross in the chapel’s courtyard.