The Development department at Word on Fire often receives letters and donations mailed in by our generous supporters.

But this time, one of the letters in the stack was different. The outside of the envelope contained a stamp reading “Texas Department of Criminal Justice,” and the return address read Bradshaw Unit, a privately run medium-security prison located in Texas. In neat handwriting beneath the address, a note had been added: “Attention: Bookstore team at WOF.”

The letter itself was written with great precision on looseleaf paper bearing the watermark of Hobby Printing Facility, a print shop staffed by inmates at William P. Hobby Unit, a women’s prison also located in Texas.

The inmate’s letter was effusive in its praise for Word on Fire and specific in its request:

I’m an inmate in the Texas prison system. I’ve been following your team’s podcast now for some time. I even recently had my family send me the Word on Fire Bible Volume I and Volume II—just beautiful! You guys and gals are doing an amazing job! Bishop Barron is like a breath of fresh air concerning our Catholic faith…I must admit that I’m truly engaged and looking forward to what’s to come within the Word on Fire community.

The reason that I am writing to you is that I’m wanting to purchase some books from the Word on Fire Bookstore using my inmate trust fund. For me to be able to do this, I need an invoice or catalog containing recommended books or books available, along with tax and shipping cost, so that the TDC Inmate Trust Fund staff can deduct from my available funds and send you the total cost—of which your team can then mail me the purchased materials.

He goes on to request specific books—Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain and several of Bishop Barron’s recent titles. Instead of using his trust funds on better food, hygiene supplies, or other products from the prison’s commissary, this inmate is seeking classic and contemporary spiritual writings to continue his growth in understanding of the faith.

This is not an irregular occurrence. We frequently receive requests for our materials from prisoners, prison chaplains, hospital chaplains, pastors and lay leaders from parishes in rural and poor areas of the country, and others who are leading or living in communities that are on the margins of society.

Unfortunately, the cost of our books, associated shipping fees, and the number of solicitations we receive can be prohibitive for fulfillment of all these requests. But a new donor-supported initiative inspired by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy looks to change that.

In this month when we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday, Word on Fire is proud to launch the Works of Mercy Fund to make our materials more widely available to those who most need to hear the message of God’s love and mercy.