PHOENIX — During a recent candlelight mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church near Downtown Phoenix, Father Estevan Wetzel delivers a message he knows very well: Light can be found, even in the darkest of places.
“Every single human being has infinite dignity,” Father Wetzel said. “No matter the circumstances they’re in or what they have done.”
It's a lesson that he helps spread not just within the four walls of his church, but beyond, including in prisons and jails across the state.
As the Director of Prison Ministries for the Diocese of Phoenix, Father Wetzel helps facilitate church services to those who are incarcerated at least once a week.
“You’re in a privileged spot to hear the secrets and difficulties of people,” he explained. “That weighs on me the same way it does in any part of priestly ministry.”
In many ways, Father Wetzel’s mission goes beyond religion and has so much to do with learning our self-worth, regardless of what your faith may be.
“Especially in our culture, we think our identity comes from what we can do,” he said. “But before you do anything, you are worth it — right here and right now.”
It is a belief that is deeply personal for Father Wetzel. Although he himself was never incarcerated, his older brother, Jason, spent much of his life in and out of jail. Growing up, Father Wetzel remembers waiting in the car as his mother visited Jason behind bars.
In 2014, Jason tragically died after stealing from a Glendale Walgreens store and being struck by a vehicle as he ran outside. Father Wetzel says his brother had been trying to make amends before his death.
“As my brother’s body was being lowered, the Lord said, ‘Do you see how beautiful your brother’s death was?’” Father Wetzel recalled. “Tragic, yes — but cared for. This is the fruit of your family’s prayers.”
He believes that indirect experience with the criminal justice system prepared him for the ministry he leads today.
“There’s a providential element in all of this,” he said.
Father Wetzel now carries that lesson into every prison visit and sermon, reminding inmates and parishioners alike that failure does not define the future.
Whether inside a church, behind prison walls, or standing alone in life’s darkest moments, Father Wetzel says the invitation is always the same: Accept grace, seek forgiveness, and keep getting back up.
To connect with Father Wetzel on Instagram, click here.
