Rosa María, 29, is one of the nearly 2,000 women incarcerated at Lynwood's facility. She was jailed two years ago; first in Orange and then she was transferred to Lynwood's jail. The masseuse, who also worked at an optical shop, is waiting for her sentence. Many of her peers are in the same situation, as most of the judicial cases last longer than expected. Soon after her arrest, Rosa María suffered from deep depression, remaining all day in her cell under the bed sheets - but the attention and support from Catholic Chaplain Evelia Ortiz and archdiocesan volunteers helped her overcome her crisis.
With teary eyes, she expressed to Angelus News how the image of La Peregrina had brought her hope and joy because as a Catholic she feels a "special connection with the Virgin."
"She's a mother, just like me," said the mother of three children, ages 2 to 12, who are under relatives' care. They visit her every two weeks.
"Faith has helped me a lot, and here in prison my faith has increased. I take Bible courses that I receive by mail and I reflect very much about how to be a better person." She is also completing studies to earn a high school diploma.
Imelda Bermejo, who in her role as the archdiocesan coordinator of Families of the Incarcerated, organizes support groups for the families of the women in Lynwood's facility, said several of the women are behind bars for minor crimes that turned into felonies due to procrastination, and some others are in jail for supporting their partners' criminal activities.
Ortiz said the crimes vary from minor crimes to serious felonies, including sentences of life without parole.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LosAngeles?src=hash">#LosAngeles</a> | Virgin of Guadalupe visits women in Lynwood's jail <a href="https://t.co/yTVpoRJyJB">https://t.co/yTVpoRJyJB</a> <a href="https://t.co/PXEqwuPBvx">pic.twitter.com/PXEqwuPBvx</a></p>— Angelus News (@AngelusNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/AngelusNews/status/804430694797737984">December 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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This article originally appeared at Angelus News of the Archdiocese of LA. Reprinted with permission.