VIDEO: How One Man Rediscovered His Catholic Faith Behind Bars
NEW YORK — After spending more than 20 years behind bars, Marco Barrios does not take the freedom to walk the streets of New York City for granted.
Barrios said his struggles began after serving in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War. He returned home with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and began self-medicating, eventually drifting away from his faith. He described the period as one of the darkest chapters of his life. He was sentenced to prison in 1992.
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During that period, he said, he felt a sense of instability and emptiness.
“Unstable. Totally unstable. There was something missing,” he said.
While incarcerated, Barrios began turning to the Catholic faith for peace and purpose.
“The only thing that gave me a peace of mind was going to church, learning about the faith,” he said. “It just kept me. It kept me from losing hope.”
His faith journey led him to become an altar server and later a Eucharistic minister, roles that allowed him to share his faith with fellow inmates. Barrios said he often spoke with those who struggled with anger toward God, drawing on his own experience as he grew in his faith.
“There’s a lot of people that’s angry at God. Really angry,” he said. “And then I try to talk to them as I was growing in my faith and says, it’s why are we angry? Why are you angry at God?”
Barrios also carries a rosary that he believes played a role in helping him overcome his struggle with smoking and substance use.
He recalled asking someone for a cigarette and attempting to light it when the cigarette became caught in the rosary and broke. Barrios said he has not experienced the same temptation to smoke or get high since that moment, which he views as a sign of God’s grace.
Today, Barrios practices his faith at St. Sebastian Church in Woodside, Queens, and hopes to help others who have been incarcerated through the Urban Justice Center.
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His own experience has shaped the way he approaches people who have been involved in the criminal justice system.
“No matter what their crimes were, I never judge them,” he said.
Although his years in prison were painful, Barrios believes the experience ultimately helped lead him back to God.
“I lost my freedom, but I, I found not only my faith, but my soul,” he said.
“And so sometimes we have to go through that to test our faith. To bring us back.”
Now, Barrios hopes his journey can inspire others to rediscover their faith and find their own path toward redemption.