Deacon “Jumping John” Hill helps lead prison residents to Christ

The following article uses pseudonyms for men who are incarcerated, in order to maintain their privacy and that of  their families:

Matthew didn’t waste any time finding the chapel after being transferred to the Moberly Correctional Center (MCC) in September 2021.

Upon learning that the new resident was Catholic, the chapel worker smiled and exclaimed, “Jumping John! You’re gonna’ love him!”

“I had no idea what he was talking about, let alone how deeply ‘Jumping John’ would ultimately impact my life,” said Matthew.

He was referring to Deacon John Hill, who assists the pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Moberly and serves as a volunteer in corrections (VIC) at the Moberly prison.

Or, as Deacon Hill refers to it, “the South Campus of St. Pius X Parish.”

“He gives us men who are inside the institution every reason to feel fully and completely a part of the true Body of Christ,” said James, a member of the Catholic community at MCC.

Deacon Hill’s broad range of diaconal responsibilities includes a heavy emphasis on ministry to the residents of MCC.

“Prison Ministry is simply about being present to and encouraging those who have a desire to strengthen their faith, have lost their faith, or are trying to find something to believe in,” Deacon Hill stated earlier this year.

“A true servant”

Deacon Hill spends the time between Sunday Masses at St. Pius at the prison, as well as on Tuesday afternoons and evenings and occasionally on Thursday evenings.

He and his wife also help one Saturday a month with a program called Story Link, where residents make and send recordings of themselves reading to their children.

In the past four years, he has served on the teams for nine three-day Residents Encounter Christ retreats for people who are incarcerated.

Matthew said Deacon Hill offers the gift of his full and undivided presence every time he comes to the prison.

“He stays and talks, encourages, teaches and listens,” said Matthew. “He helps each candidate through RCIA [the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults], and when he’s not busy doing that, he’ll take time to just sit down one-on-one with you and find out how you’re doing.

“He listens and doesn’t judge,” Matthew stated. “He cares and he loves.”

James was transferred from a maximum security facility to Moberly, which is medium security, in 2019.

He had been longing for years to find a way to get back into a right relationship with God.

“Then, after the COVID lockdown, I met a true servant and brother of my Lord Jesus Christ,” James stated. “Deacon John Hill and our other Catholic brothers led me through the Christian Initiation, and I was confirmed and entered into the Roman Catholic Church on April 18, 2021.”

“Welcomed and wanted”

Matthew said meeting Deacon Hill immediately filled him with an unexpected sense of “acceptance and of ‘okay-ness.’”

“Deacon John has been an absolute blessing, to be the face of Christ through this very challenging time in my life,” Matthew continued.

“He is a man who is truly living the Gospel,” he said. “He is a great example and inspiration in my life and the lives of all those he meets.

“He has helped me to not only feel welcomed but wanted,” Matthew added.

Being available

Deacon Hill was born into a large family in the Queens borough of New York City and grew up in upstate New York.

He moved to Moberly with his wife, Margaret, and their children in 1996.

He entered discernment for the Diaconate in 2008 and was ordained in 2013.

“We do not have a complete idea of what God or the bishop or the pastor will be asking us to do,” he stated at that time. “But with the grace that comes through ordination, we will serve with the gifts God has given us.”

Deacon Hill said he believes in drawing people to Christ by “just being available, listening and responding with love.”

“That can be at work, at home, in the grocery store, running a marathon, at church — anyplace,” he said. “I believe that we are given many, many opportunities to bring Christ to the world every day in how we live our life and how we respond.”

Called by name

James noted that as a VIC, Deacon Hill extends his ministry far beyond the Catholic community at MCC.

“He helps the staff, and people of all faiths and walks of life,” James stated. “He helps us all, no matter who you are.”

Whenever the prison chaplain is unavailable, Deacon Hill is one of the volunteers who steps in to make the chapel available to all people of faith.

All scheduled activities in Missouri prisons require a volunteer to facilitate and help supervise the residents.

“Without a volunteer to supervise these events at the chapel, they simply wouldn’t be possible for us,” said Andrew, also a member of the Catholic community at MCC.

He said Deacon Hill welcomed him with open arms upon his arrival in January 2022.

Andrew is still amazed at how well Deacon Hill remembers people’s names.

“He takes the time to get to know each person,” said Andrew. “Whether it’s during Mass or a Tuesday evening Catholic service or a Thursday evening ‘Celebrate Recovery’ session, Deacon John is here to welcome an offender to the chapel by spending a few moments with each man, learning his name and a little bit about him.”

“The way of love”

Bartholomew, a former MCC resident who has been discharged from prison, said Deacon Hill is a large part of how he came to know the love of God.

“He’s taught me things that will stick with me for the rest of my life,” Bartholomew stated. “He led me through the RCIA and taught me what I was getting into and who I was saying ‘yes’ to when I was baptized and confirmed.

“I thank God for this man he put in my life,” said Bartholomew. “He’s shown me the way of love, which is Jesus Christ.”

James said he’s learned more about his faith than he ever could have dreamed at this point in his life.

“Because of the ministry of a loving deacon of the Church,” said James, “I can live and understand my faith life to the fullest through the sacraments and walk in new, mature dedication to the Lord our God, while I’m still serving out my sentence in prison.”

A combat veteran, James said being incarcerated has coincided with the deepest, darkest valley of his life.

“The spiritual battle was taking a toll on me, but God has given me his Church and the wonderful people of St. Pius X Parish to win this battle and journey,” he said.

James’s sense of wonder remains unabated.

“There are not enough words to describe the wholeness and peace I get now as a member of God’s true Church,” he said. “Thanks be to God for his mercy!”

“A better disciple”

“Deacon John deserves to be recognized so that people outside these prison walls are aware of the tireless, selfless volunteer work this man puts in, hour after hour, week after week, year after year, simply because he has the heart to do so,” said Andrew.

Deacon Hill believes he’s already being substantially rewarded for his time and effort.

“What I have received is a wonderful opportunity to be surrounded by Catholic and Christian men and women who have every opportunity to lose hope but have found a way of growing their faith — even in the restrictive, hampered environment they are in,” the deacon told The Catholic Missourian in 2023.

“The strength of their faith always inspires me to be a better husband, father, grandfather, friend and deacon,” he said.

“In short — a better disciple of Christ.”