I was in prison and you visited me.’ (Matthew 25:36)
WATERTOWN, Mass.—The steel doors to the Billerica House of Correction are 10 deep before Michael Charchaflian encounters an inmate or detainee.
It’s all in the line of work for this Armenian prison minister whose job it is to save souls and offer spiritual guidance. Those in the church community know him as “the Armenian Good Shepherd who tends a rather troubled flock.”
“My message to them is one of compassion and human kindness,” says the 56-year-old evangelist. “I try to bring some direction into their lives. By doing so, maybe they’ll find the right path. The majority of folks come from broken homes and don’t have a high school diploma.”
Charchaflian serves under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Boston and was embraced by Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian. There was an opening four years ago and Charchaflian was notified by the sheriff shortly after receiving his diaconate in theological studies at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton.
The two had known each other with their attachment to Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church in Belmont where Charchaflian serves as an archdeacon and religious education instructor. Two of Koutoujian’s three children have come under Charchaflian’s wing during their First Communion classes.
Inside this parish, Charchaflian has been a whirlwind of activity. He serves on the altar; is a lector at times; makes house calls; visits with the infirmed and ailing; helps with religious education; and organizes adult retreats, in addition to editing the church newsletter “Hye Undanik.”
Over the past few years, he’s helped revive the spiritual foundation of the church under its late pastor, Father Raphael Andonian, his mentor and good friend.
A more formal role is that of postulant with aspirations of entering the priesthood. He’s been associated with Holy Cross Church over the past 11 years. Serving as interim pastor these days is Bishop Mikael Mouradian until a permanent replacement is found.
In 1983, Charchaflian received his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Lowell, where he revived the Armenian Heritage Radio Program and served as its moderator for five years. He became acquainted with Holy Cross Church after befriending Dr. Artin Aslanian, faculty dean in the School of Music.
Aslanian also served as choir director and organist at Holy Cross in Harvard Square before the parish moved to Belmont. A connection at that time had lingering effects with Charchaflian.
As a Catholic chaplain in Middlesex County, the Billerica House of Correction is Charchaflian’s holy ground, which he visits 5 days a week, 8 hours at a time, touching some 450 detainees who await sentencing, along with 150 inmates serving time. Previously, he was with the Cambridge Jail.
He serves in three capacities: holding Catholic Eucharistic services daily, conducting religious education programs, and offering pastoral counseling whether inside the prison chapel or the confines of a jail cell.
Ten percent are classified as alleged murderers, joined by other crimes related to drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence.
“You look into their faces and see products of your own neighborhood,” Charchaflian says. “Much to my surprise, they’re a smaller sample of people we live with. I’m not here to change their lives but to make them aware of who can make that difference. I’m a messenger, a conduit.”
There are Armenian convicts—a half dozen encounters with Charchaflian, usually met with deep remorse. And maybe one or two others he’s known on the outside.
Charchaflian wipes away a tear when he thinks about it, struck with deep emotion at seeing people of his own kind incarcerated.
“It really hits home with me,” he laments. “It’s like seeing a brother behind bars, a member of my own community. I return to the chapel and pray. You commit a crime and your family becomes impacted. Unfortunately, an inmate doesn’t see that.”
Sometimes, the dialogue is in Spanish. Other times, Arabic and French, in addition to Armenian and English. Being bilingual gives Charchaflian plenty of options. He learned Spanish while living in Argentina for a spell.
They know him by name but prefer to call him “preacher” or “padre.” A clerical collar distinguishes him as a member of the religious team.
There is risk but Charchaflian doesn’t think about the possibilities. If he did, his mission would become skittish. He’s equipped with a special radio that’s connected to the central command system.
“Some areas are more distressed than others, especially with extreme cases like murderers row,” he says. “The risk is there, but I try not to feel it.”
The job often goes beyond the call of duty. An attempted suicide might summon him in the middle of the night or a weekend. Even worse, a life that’s taken. Emergencies can grow personal, especially after becoming spiritually attached to an inmate.
“It’s shocking, at times,” says Charchaflian, “like the time I came here one morning and found an individual I had been ministering for a few months who had committed suicide in his cell.”
It’s where the human condition sometimes replaces the incorrigible element, though Charchaflian doesn’t see it that way. He sees goodness in every individual, regardless of their state.
An alleged murderer he ministered for a year became inspired by a biblical scripture (“The truth shall set you free” – John 8:23). “The prisoner admitted to his crime and accepted his life’s sentence without going through the normal due process,” Charchaflian says.
On another occasion, he was asked to visit a cemetery to bury an inmate who had no family to claim him. Charchaflian acted as minister in the burial process and took it upon himself to become a member of his family.
“It goes beyond the individual. I’m grateful to be serving in this ministry. It’s provided an in-depth experience into my vocation. If anything, I feel validated by it.”
Tom Vartabedian
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