My dear brothers and sisters in state service: It has thus far been an exciting and uplifting tenure as President of ACCSS. When I was elected President of ACCSS, my main goal was to find ways of ensuring our concerns and issues affecting the Chaplaincy continued to be addressed. Additional goals we...

On a clear day, you can see forever… The greatest thing a human being does in this world is to see something…… To see clearly, poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one. - John Ruskin Although sight is a miraculous gift, we barely scratch the surface of really seeing this vast universe and how...

What is spirituality? My understanding is that everything has a spirit to it. The two-legged human beings, the four-legged animals, the ones that crawl and the ones that fly, the plants, our water, our ancestors, the wind as well as everything above and below us -- has a spirit to it. It's said that...

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I pray this newsletter finds you in good spirits. Briefly, I would like to share something on faith. By “faith” I mean having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. I believe we can all say that throughout our lives at some point we’ve been let down by...

As we approach the 2019 tax season, I thought it would be a good idea to provide everyone with some information on Parsonage/housing allowance. Per California State law AB 243 all State Chaplains qualify for applying up to half their salary for clergy housing allowance. Please note that there are sp...

Chaplain Sam Smolinisky is the Catholic Chaplain Pelican Bay State Prison. For Catholics, we are currently in the time of Lent, a communitarian journey of conversion towards Holy Week and Easter. Chaplain Sam reflects on that journey, the challenges of starting his ministry at the time of the Inmate...

Brothers and sisters, On behalf of the ACCSS board, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very happy and blessed holiday. We are currently in the midst of celebrating Chanukah - the Festival of Lights. I’d like to share with you a profound and timely message from my...

For the past four years my father has been suffering from, and declining from, Alzheimer’s disease. And for over a year now he has been at a care facility. I try and make it every week or so to see him and admittedly I often find myself doing it more for the sake of giving […]...

Sitting in the shade arbor, listening to the brightly colored prayer flags flapping in the breeze. Looking around on the far side of the camp, I see elders talking with their families and children laughing near the camp kitchen. Close by a circle of young men, sit with their drumsticks around a larg...

Bulletproof Faith The condemned seek solace from their death row companion, a chaplain Father George Williams, the Catholic chaplain at San Quentin State Prison, wears a bulletproof vest as he celebrates mass for death row inmates. (Photo courtesy: San Quentin State Prison) By Rachel Fobar The Medil...