The Catholic Defender: Through Terry Delp’s Conversion, November 2001 Terry Receives a Second Pardon
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Kairos Prison Ministry: A lay-led program that conducts retreats inside prisons. Statistics suggest it significantly reduces recidivism rates—from over 50% for the general population to below 20% for participants.
Fuerza Transformadora: A program founded by former gang member Mr. Torres that brings Bible study and personal testimonies to marginalized groups in parking lots and parks.
Redemption: Many former members cite an overwhelming "emptiness" despite material success, finding that the faith offers a path to forgive themselves for past actions.
Shayne Smith: A former gang member who credits a personal encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe for his transformation from a criminal to a devout Catholic and comedian.
Terry often features other dramatic conversion stories, such as Eric Tafoya’s, and emphasizes themes of mercy, truth, and real transformation.
In the words of Terry Delp, his story is of a "youth completely lost in the world of gangs and violence".
As a result, in 1987, at age 14, Terry joined a gang that would take him down a dark road.
He grew up in juvenile detention centers and later prisons.
In gangs, so many of our young people take them on as a family.
That is the kind of commitment that they offer the gangs. Many of them do not have father figures and many get caught up in drugs and violence.
Ultimately, Terry would become the gang leader in the gang he had been initiated.
After 18 years serving a 63 year prison sentence in the Texas State Prison system, Terry Delp was given his freedom being "Twice Pardoned" as his faith radically changed him forever.
In November 2001, after much prayer and study, Terry Delp was received into the Catholic Faith.
Conversion from gang life to the Catholic faith often centers on high-profile individual testimonies and organized church ministries that provide a substitute for the "belonging" found in gangs.
Dismas House, founded in 1959 by Jesuit Father Charles “Dismas” Clark, was one of the nation's first, and most successful, transitional homes dedicated to helping former inmates, including gang members, re-enter society. Providing food, shelter, and job placement, it boasts high success rates for rehabilitation.
Founder's Purpose: Known as the "Hoodlum Priest," Father Clark visited inmates weekly, aiming to give them a second chance through the "Dismas House" model.
Reentry Focus: The organization focuses on preventing return-to-crime by offering a safe space and structured support for ex-prisoners.
St. Dismas Patronage: Dismas is named for the "Good Thief" on the cross, making him a fitting patron for prison reform and rehabilitation ministries.
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