How does one go from serving a prison sentence to having a closer relationship with God? Robert Ehnow, director of the Office for Life, Peace, and Justice for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, is in a unique position to answer this question, as he went from prison to being ordained a deacon in 2025 and on to working in prison ministry. He recently spoke with Charles Camosy of OSV News about his experience and what Catholics should know about the prison system.
Can I ask you about your story and how it led you to write a book titled *All Things New: A Journey from Fragility to Restoration*?
—My story really begins after I retired from the Marine Corps in 2008; I had a successful 20-year career as a Marine Corps officer. My wife and I bought a business when I retired from the Marine Corps, and the business did very well for three years.
I was making more money than I could ever have imagined, and my goal was to make even more. I suppose you could say that my moral compass wasn’t pointing north at that point in my life. In January 2011, 25 federal agents raided my home and my business and informed me that I was the subject of a federal investigation.
In an instant, my life changed completely. Over the next decade, I faced criminal charges, a federal trial, incarceration, the collapse of my business, personal bankruptcy, and multiple civil lawsuits. The difficult time my wife and I were going through coincided with God’s call for us not only to draw closer to Him, but also to equip ourselves to serve Him and His Church. Both Colette and I were shattered and humiliated, and through God’s grace, we were able to rise above our suffering and pain to be transformed into something new—hence the book’s title: «All Things New.».
When I started working for the Diocese of San Diego in 2018, I began sharing my personal story about my experience with the criminal and civil legal systems. Many people encouraged me to write a book, but I wasn’t ready because my story wasn’t over yet. Colette and I didn’t emerge from our «valley» until 2020, and then the COVID-19 pandemic presented us with a different kind of «valley» for all of humanity.
It was during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic that God called me to consider the possibility of being ordained a deacon in the Church, and I began my diaconal formation in the summer of 2020. The formation process to become a deacon lasts five years, and, to be honest, I had serious doubts about my suitability and my commitment to becoming a deacon. It was my sister Colette, my pastor, and others who encouraged me to take things slowly, one year at a time.
When I was ordained in May 2025, my story of personal growth—from adversity to restoration—was complete, and that was also when I finished the draft of *All Things New*. It was not my decision, but God’s, that allowed me to finish the book after my ordination.
I'm going to talk with you about your story and your book during a webinar on August 10, which is also the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe. How does his story relate to yours?
“While I was in prison, I watched a documentary about St. Maximilian Kolbe. I followed his story and discovered that he was the patron saint of prisoners. I began to ask for his intercession and asked him to guide me toward a better relationship with God.”.
I was released from prison in 2015, and for a couple of years—while I was back in college completing my doctorate—I drifted away from St. Kolbe in my prayer life. In July 2018, I began working for the diocese, directing the diocesan prison ministry. The following month, in August, one of my colleagues gave me an icon of St. Maximilian Kolbe to inspire my work in prisons.
The icon of Father Kolbe still hangs at the entrance to my office; it is a reminder of the sacred nature of our work and of the sacrifice he made so that another might live. Father Kolbe is a modern saint who voluntarily gave his life for another—an example of unconditional self-sacrifice, in the manner of Christ. As I began to carry out my ministry in the diocese, I once again asked Father Kolbe to guide me and intercede before the Lord for the success of our ministry.
In Chapter 2 of *All Things New*, I write about the story of St. Kolbe and how his story, along with those of other saints, provided me with guidance and inspiration during my time in prison and, later, in the work I do on behalf of prisoners in the diocese.
In what ways do the ideas that interest you manifest themselves today?
“No one wants to be in prison, but it also offers abundant opportunities for growth, especially spiritual growth. My Catholic faith not only endured but grew exponentially during my incarceration.”.
During my time in prison, I read voraciously, and that reading led me to reflect deeply on issues that concerned me, particularly justice. I had broken the law and had to face the consequences of my actions. In my opinion, the process I went through within the system focused less on justice and more on punishment and retribution.
Through my own experience within the system and my research following my incarceration, I discovered that our justice system rarely aligns with our values as citizens and Christians. Jesus is perfect justice. God’s justice is not focused solely on punishment. Accountability and punishment are elements of justice, but they are meant to be sanctions that lead to restoration.
Divine justice focuses on restoring relationships and making amends for the harm caused. God perfects justice through love, mercy, and forgiveness. I believe we must strive to align our justice system with the divine model, where mercy and forgiveness provide the opportunity for true reconciliation and restoration.
As is often the case with many problems, these seem so vast and deeply rooted that it can be difficult to know where to start when trying to bring about change. How might people who are moved by your story and your advocacy work address this issue in their own lives?
— «All Things New» seeks to transform hearts. We all make mistakes, and we all fall short of the ideal God has for us. Yet God loves us despite our mistakes and sins. All too often, we condemn others and seem not to care whether there is a path to forgiveness and restoration. As Catholics, we live in the world, but we are not of this world.
Ideally, justice for us should be aligned with God’s justice, where accountability and punishment may be necessary, but mercy, forgiveness, and restoration are the ultimate goals.
I believe that for all of us who think about or care about justice, it all begins with a change in perspective and a refocusing on divine justice. Once we understand justice according to God’s purpose, we can begin to advocate for it and educate others about it.
Charles Camosy teaches moral theology and bioethics at The Catholic University of America in Washington.
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