Mack Alford Correctional Center has chosen Catherine McPherson, long-time Atoka resident as Chaplain for both the minimum and medium prison yards, at Stringtown, Oklahoma.
Ms. McPherson was hired on the first of August to fill the chaplaincy which has been vacant since February of this year. Ms. McPherson went through the DOC application and interview process to be named acting Chaplain of the 1200 allmale facility.
When asked by the interviewing board, which consisted of Agency Chaplain Leo Brown, Chaplain Cynthia Sickler of Jim E. Hamilton Facility, and Deputy Warden Ryan Graham, why she was interested in the position, Ms. McPherson responded as follows: 'I do not need a job. But I do have a need. Since our daughter, Isabela Miriam, perished in a tragic house fire in September of 2024, our lives have been turned upside down. I have wrestled with the Lord concerning her death and particularly Romans 8:28 that says, 'All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purposes.' I could not see the 'good.' “I have prayed for months that my faith would not fail me. I have contended with the Lord over this issue. I have been completely broken. Brokenness and suffering, though painful, have a way of rearranging our thought processes, our world views, our life goals. When everything inside of you is poured out, it allows the Lord to pour back into you his life truths and purposes. Isabela was hired to work in food services in February of 2024 (over my strong objections) After her first week of employment in food services, Isabela told me: 'Mom, these men have done bad things, made bad choices, but they are still made in the image of God, and I want to treat them with honor and respect because of that one fact.' “With her words imprinted on my heart, I have felt a need, a desire to serve the inmates and staff in that vein: made in the image of God, deserving of respect and dignity. I feel I am called to stand on the platform Isabela, herself, built and complete her work.”
