Our brother Rich Zelik, OFM Cap., serves as a chaplain at the Allegheny County Jail along with his assistance to communities of Religious women and various parishes in the Pittsburgh area. He’s taken a special interest in the work of Pittsburgh's Amachi, a program seeking to empower, nurture and protect the most vulnerable within the criminal justice system - the children of the incarcerated. 
Rich knew something had to be and could be done for the inmates of the jail whose families at home suffer from the absense of a parent. As Br. Rich says: "I soon learned that the organization could positively impact children to review and to reassess their ‘social DNA’ via loving and honest adults, along with the help of peers. Just as one’s physical DNA can be flawed, likewise one’s ‘social DNA’ can be affected and flawed!"
Derived from Nigeria's Igbo language, the word Amachi translates to “Who knows what God has brought us through this child?” This attitude of respect, love and hope for children of incarcerated parents is what makes the difference in their lives. Our confrere meets the kids face-to-face. He hears their stories. He meets their families. And then, as a chaplain, he meets their incarcerated parents who suffer not only from the consequences of their own behavior but also from the impact their choices have made on their families.
Read Br. Rich's reflections in this article he's prepared explaining the need for the endeavor.
