in Washington, DC where her four sons went to school. Two of her sons were members of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Oregon and Georgia, so she was well-connected into developments in the Jesuit community. After spending 12 years as staff chaplain at Georgetown University Medical Center, Chris joined IVC in 2002.
Chris’ ministry is the Washington, DC Detention Center where she serves as volunteer chaplain to the female residents two days a week. Her path to the chaplaincy has been long, indirect and interesting. After graduating from Trinity University in Washington, DC with a degree in English, she married and raised a family of 6 children over the next 20 years. After training as a hospice worker, she returned to school at Washington Theological Union and received certification as a chaplain from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, which led to her chaplaincy at Georgetown University Medical Center.
As chaplain at the Detention Center, Chris visits the women in their units, prays with them, listens to them. Frequently, the women are concerned about the welfare of their children. Chris tries to do what she can to help them connect with family members while they are incarcerated. She also assists them in planning for their post-release life, a critical time when they will need housing, job training, perhaps rehabilitation, childcare, etc.
Like many jails, the Detention Center is severely overcrowded pressing more and more women into less and less space. Noise and confusion are the order of the day. Father Michael Bryant, chaplain at the Center has said that “in spite of all the obstacles, Chris in her quiet, efficient way gets the job done. Her calm and smiling presence is an antidote to the chaos that swirls about the jail.”