Free Russ Ford: Catholic Apostle Behind Bars Seeks Help Overturning Conviction

By Marshall Pickard
10/13/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

He needs the help of faithful Catholics and other concerned individuals to help bring his appeal to a happy conclusion

Russell Ford has won more converts to the Catholic faith than most of us could ever imagine. He has helped convert more than 100 persons and has served as godfather for 77 of them. He has written a Catholic catechism and founded a catechetical apostolate that have reached thousands more, all from within an Alabama penitentiary. New evidence proves he is innocent.

Russell Ford. His case will soon be heard in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals; if necessary, the case will be petitioned before the United States Supreme Court. If the Court of Appeals rules in his favor, Ford will be exonerated and set free.

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MONTGOMERY, AL (Catholic Online) - Russell Ford has won more converts to the Catholic faith than most of us could ever imagine. By his own count, he has helped convert more than 100 persons and has served as godfather for 77 of them. He has also written a Catholic catechism and founded a catechetical apostolate that have reached thousands more.

While those are impressive figures, there is something about Ford that is even more remarkable: He has done all of this from within the confines of an Alabama penitentiary.

Now, after serving 23 years of his 25-year sentence, Ford presently is appealing his conviction because new evidence proves he is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted - but he needs the help of faithful Catholics and other concerned individuals to help bring his appeal to a happy conclusion.

Although innocent of the crime, Ford admits that he was not a good man when he arrested, convicted, and locked away in prison back in 1987. He was a self-proclaimed atheist who lived the wild life to the fullest and was not a particularly nice guy to be around. That all changed about a year after his incarceration, when a fellow prisoner, himself a new convert, began speaking to Ford about the Catholic faith and earned his rapt attention. He became an eager student of Church doctrine and avidly learned all he could about his newfound faith.

Ford was baptized in 1989, but even before that the prison's priest-chaplain gave him a catechism and instructed him to teach it to other inmates. He resisted at first, but before long he was conducting catechism classes of his own and gaining new souls for Christ and his Church.

From that initial effort, Ford founded and developed First-Century Christian Ministries (FCCM), an outreach to inmates in his own penitentiary and other prisons across the nation. His first convert was his cellmate; many more were to follow. He also wrote articles and was published widely in Catholic journals such as This Rock and the National Catholic Register. His book, "The Missionary's Catechism," is beloved by many and is still in print.

Criminals can be a tough audience, so Ford had to learn sound apologetics methods in order to penetrate the exterior resistance of inmates and reach their hearts and souls. Prison officials have often made the apostolate more difficult for Ford by confiscating his Bibles and catechetical materials and ordering him not to teach the faith. Despite being described as a model prisoner, he was denied parole in 1995 after his priest-chaplain honored the seal of confession and refused to divulge to the parole board what Ford had said to him in the Sacrament of Penance.

Two years ago, Ford began a quest for exoneration based on new evidence that has come to light. His appeal is complicated by the fact that Alabama's justice system destroyed all DNA evidence from the trial, but it appears his case is progressing favorably. Supported by advocates led by Catholic laity, Ford and his legal team have been negotiating the daunting technical hurdles and challenges of the legal system and remedies that he has to navigate and overcome. He has just been granted an extraordinary ruling in federal court granting him a "certificate of appealability" acknowledging that he has presented substantial evidence that his constitutional rights were violated with respect to his claims related to newly discovered evidence and alleged destruction of evidence.

His case will soon be heard in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals; if necessary, the case will be petitioned before the United States Supreme Court. If the Court of Appeals rules in his favor, Ford will be exonerated and set free.

The financial cost of such appeals is very high, often reaching into six figures. Ford presently is receiving pro-bono legal representation, but there are heavy and essential costs involving court fees, procurement of evidence, and other necessities for mounting a credible appeal. He has no money for such expenses, but his close and longtime Catholic friends have established a legal fund to provide these costs. He desperately needs more concerned people to render monetary assistance so that he may present his case to the courts and win his vindication and freedom.

Ford's friends and supporters already include many prominent Catholic men and women. Donna Steichen, author of "Ungodly Rage," learned of Ford's story and included him in her newly published collection of conversion stories titled "Chosen: How Christ Send Twenty-Three Surprised Converts to Replant His Vineyard" (Ignatius Press, 2009).

"No one acquainted with [Ford's] record could fail to be astonished by what he has achieved, ...

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1 - 8 of 8 Comments

LoRena
2 years ago
I’ve read this article and the comments. I didn’t find anything in it that was callous toward anyone. I found hope, love and a sincere wish to do God’s work. I see where God has taken bad and turned it to good. Seems everyone wants to know what Mr. Ford was convicted of. Why? What difference does it make? The fact is there is evidence to prove his innocence. Some seem worried about the victim of the crime. Mr. Ford and his family are certainly the victims in this crime, so by all means let us pray for the victims. As well we should pray for the ones that brought about the conviction of an innocent man. Mr. Ford has spent 23 years in prison and God has used this time to make him one of the greatest Apostles known in modern times. Please all of you that are so interested in finding out about Mr. Ford, and his credibility, read Donna Stiechen's book Chosen, read the articles published by This Rock magazine and get a copy of A Missionary’s Catechism. With these you will experience what God’s love has done. If any of this is one-sided it’s on God’s side. How many of you would like to have to ask for help in such a public venue as the internet? How many would like to have your life picked apart by narrow minded people that only want to know the bad so much they over look the good? How many would be bitter about loosing 23 years of their life as they know it? How many would still be able to do God’s work as well as Mr. Ford has without any bitterness? Would you be able to consider this a blessing as he has?
I merely offer this as a "little fat to chew on".
S.
2 years ago
Quote: Don't worry what he supposedly did or did not do.

Why not? Did a crime not even occur? If none occurred, then of course, I won't worry. However, if a crime did take place, it likely means that an innocent person (besides Russ) suffered. Why should I not consider this victim, and pray for him or her? That's what bothers me about this story. It's very one-sided, and almost callous toward someone who possibly suffered as the result of a crime.

I'm glad this man is sharing the Word of God, and since I've done some work with individuals in the juvenile justice system, I know how substandard living conditions in some facilities can be. I pray for the children I meet in these circumstances all the time. However, I also pray for their victims (sometimes they've been murdered or stabbed). A story is only complete when all parts of it are told.
Scottr
2 years ago
I teach a Catholic Bible study/Catechism/Apologetics class at our local prison. I went to this apostolates web site and find it so true that our separated brothers persecute Catholics in untold ways in prison, from the government paid chaplains and their followers. Our Chaplain actually points out the Catholics to their followers for them to attack-sometimes physically (some love of Christ in action). He has stopped all together the deacons communion services during the week and made mass as uncomfortable as possible. If anyone can support this ministry, it is worthwhile. Don't worry what he supposedly did or did not do. Focus on the ministry. Yes, helping prisoners is one of the corporal works of mercy. God will bless.
John
2 years ago
Not to throw gas on the credibility fire, but Dr. Kreeft is a Philosophy professor at Boston College, not Psycology professor. Does that mean that he really said that Russ is "philosophically fit for release"? Unless there is another Peter Kreeft working at Boston College, I looked and couldn't find one, but you never know. Either way, God bless all involved and may His justice and plan prevail.

John
Pat mcginley
2 years ago
No where does the article even state what this man was accussed of. I feel we are only being presented with a partial picture and this hurts the credibility of the article.
Stefano Genovese
2 years ago
This is very sad. If he had been born a woman, the sentence would have been 2 years probation.
S.
2 years ago
I googled Mr. Ford's name. I found out a lot about him, but not about the crime he's convicted of (or innocent of?). I really don't know what to think about this story, because I don't have all the information pertaining to it, and for that matter, can't find it. It's kind of weird, actually. I guess I'll just conclude that I don't know what to think, except that I hope God blesses him, no matter what the whole story is. It's certainly wonderful that this man has brought people to Christ, no matter what his circumstances are.
S.
2 years ago
I read and re-read this article, but I couldn't find what this man has been convicted of. It would have been helpful to include that information. I hope he finds justice if he's been wrongly convicted. It's wonderful that he's brought so many to Christ.

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