Guest Post: Pagan Ministry and Outreach with Rev. Fox
Rev. Fox is a Gaelic Pagan, honoring his Gods, ancestors , and the sìth, spirits of place and power in rural New England with his partner and their two cats. He is a professional artisan, originally from the Deep South, and working everyday to improve his lot in an uphill battle. As of Aug 2021, he has been successfully out of prison from a six year bid. He firmly believes in justice and equality, and welcomes folks from all backgrounds, heritages, and walks of life into his home in the name of hospitality, and into his practice in the name of love and fosterage. He has big dreams, and loves to learn and grow. He is learning to speak Scottish Gaelic, but the struggle is real.
I am very excited to share this guest post from Rev. Fox! The Rev and I came to know each other over Twitter, and a recent post I made about the module on ethics in the Community Ministry Certificate I am pursuing lead to a conversation about how he approaches ethics in his prison ministry. After having the chance to see some of the materials he created and discussing his approach to ministry I asked if he would do me the honor of writing a guest post for my blog. And here it is!
Faoilte! I’ve been invited by WRW to tell you all about the work that I do, and why I do it. My name is Rev. Fox, and I am the head of Gaelic Studies for the Appalachian Pagan Ministry prison outreach program. I am in the draoi seminary program with Cairdreabh nan Gàidheal, which is an inclusive Gaelic cultural and spiritual organization with federal accreditation as a religious order. Furthermore, I am a queer man, making a point of preaching inclusivity in my outreach. I really admire what WRW does here, especially involving the Queer Ancestors spotlight. It’s important work.
Paganism as a whole does not advocate proselytizing, and is oftentimes disorderly. Furthermore, Pagans in general have a habit of pretending that bad things don’t happen to anyone unjustly, and that those who have made bad choices cannot find redemption, and thus should be shunned. The ability of the Pagan community to bury its collective head in the sand is one of the biggest problems that we in the realm of advocacy and activism are left to fight in our own backyard. All of this comes together to foster a culture of misinformation and leaving the vulnerable out to dry.
Having been marginalized myself, and being deeply affected by the “criminal justice” system, I found a way to help. It really just started with me contacting the head of the Appalachian Pagan Ministry (APM), and asking if I could help lighten the load by picking up a few pen-pals. I expressed wanting to act in a mentor role, but she came back to me and told me that she really needed someone to create a series of lessons. What she was passing out for Celtic studies was very basic, and didn’t really do much for the recipient. I was intimidated, to be sure. I’ve been pagan of one stripe or another for going on 20 years give or take, but I had only been dedicated to the Gaelic path for about three. Another factor was that I only know about the other branches of Celtic Paganism in a very basic, minimal familiarity. I meditated on it. I prayed on it. It was Brigit that spoke up, but I could feel Her father, the Dagda, behind Her. I had been praying for a community, and this was Their answer. I wasn’t ready to serve a draoi to a poball yet, I felt, but I could make something work.
The incarcerated population is highly vulnerable on several fronts. Misinformation abounds in prison, and pagan beliefs are often warped and wrapped up with folkist, racist gang practices. Even when it’s not, their access to quality information is lacking, even with a supportive chaplain, which can also be a rare find.
Inmates also lack ethical, moral support, and guidance that will help them keep their noses clean on the inside, and live an honest life once they’re out here. The criminal system is a business, often privatized, and they’re in the business of punishment, not reform. Where there is reform, there is a lower chance of reincarceration, which could lead to lower revenues. So, it falls to other folks, often volunteers, to make sure that our communities learn, grow, and remain safe. We don’t remain safe by locking people up, but by showing them that there are other ways to get their needs met, and that they are supported in getting those needs met in legal, healthy ways.
In 2020, around 2.3 million people were in some sort of criminal justice confinement. This information comes from the advocacy group Prison Policy Initiative. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, around 700,000 people are released back into the community each year. Without some sort of reform for that person, as well as for the community, there is a likely chance of return. In order for that person to go back into the system, they more than likely have to commit a new crime, causing more damage.
Our communities make prison a more welcoming and secure place to live than in the community itself; due to unnecessary restrictions, or refusing access to housing and jobs, or by not giving them a sense of belonging (which, by the way, is a method of accountability).
With APM, we keep in touch with people, even after release. We continue to offer guidance and resources to the best of our meager ability. Some of us sit on reentry boards, and volunteer beyond just mailing in a few pieces of paper once a month. We host video classes several times a week. We burn DVDs with information in audiovisual format to breach the literacy barrier. We answer mail and email with care and thoughtful concern. According to Rev. Donna, (who near-single-handedly administrates for APM) we service prisons in all 50 states with live video classes, DVD courses, and electronic and physical correspondence. We literally reach thousands of people. Funding comes from our own pockets, and postage alone is astronomical. And, we’re still working on our tax exempt status, because filing costs a lot, and the goal is not ever reached for the need of other expenses.
We offer outreach in a variety of traditions: Heathen, Gaelic, Wicca, Native American, Luciferean, and general Neopaganism. There are six of us, all from different place around the USA. We are always looking for more volunteers, offering a larger variety of courses. We really are fighting the good fight.
Anyway. This is who I am, and the purpose I have found. Slàinte.
You can learn more about Rev. Fox by:
Reading their blog, Raven’s Lightning: An Evolution of Gaelic Paganism in the Diaspora
Following him on Twitter
Following him on Instagram
Supporting his work through RedBubble
You can also learn more about the organizations mentioned here:
