By Larry Peterson
Can a Catholic woman get
married and divorce twice, give birth to eight children with two different men,
become a nun and eventually found a new religious order? The answer is Yes! In
fact, this same woman would, on Mother’s Day in 1990, walk the stairs alone to present
the gifts to Pope John Paul II for the Mass he was offering during his visit to
Mexico and, in return, receive his blessing. After all, with God, all things are possible.
This is about Mother Antonia Brenner who came to be known as the “Prison Angel” of La Mesa
Prison. Mother Antonia died three years
ago on October 17, 2013. As we think of her life I just
thought I should write a few words about this amazing woman. I believe history will show that
this woman was one of the greatest among Catholic women of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Mary Clarke was born in
Beverly Hills on December 1, 1926. Her dad, Joe Clarke, was a successful
businessman and Mary and her two siblings grew up surrounded with affluence and
the glitz of the movie world. Their neighbors included luminaries such as William
Powell, Hedy Lamarr and John Barrymore.
Joe Clarke had a deep
love for all people. No matter how good life was for his family he made sure
his kids were always taught to help the less fortunate. That desire to help
others, nurtured by her father, would blossom in Mary and was destined to
explode. However, before the "explosion" Mary embarked on a
circuitous life journey.
Mary married at 18 and
had three children, the first dying shortly after birth. That marriage ended in
divorce. As a divorcee, Mary now felt distanced from her Catholic upbringing. She married again, this time in a civil
service in Las Vegas. It was to a man named Carl Brenner. She and Carl had five
children together but ultimately, that marriage also ended in divorce. No
matter, God “writes straight with crooked lines” and apparently the Holy Spirit
had his eye on Mary Clarke Brenner her entire life. He was about to shower His
grace all over His daughter.
Mary became more and
more involved in charity work. In 1965 she met a priest by the name of Father
Henry Vetter. He took her along on a delivery of food, medicine and clothing to
the prisoners at La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana. The plight of the prisoners
at La Mesa (considered among the worst in Mexico) impacted her greatly and as
time went by her growing compassion and love of neighbor would become focused
on these people. They would become her specialty, her ministry, her purpose in
life.
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| Mother Antonia Brenner in cell comforting inmate |
Mary Brenner spent the
next ten years traveling back and forth to La Mesa Prison bringing needed supplies
but mostly her love and mercy. Her presence became well known and the
prisoners, both men and women, began looking forward to her visits. They began
calling her “La Mama”. The warden even gave her accommodations so she could
sleep over.
Mary took the name of
Antonia (after her mentor, Monsignor Anthony Bowers) and became Mother Antonia
Brenner. She sewed together a nun’s habit, put it on, and went to see Bishop Leo
Maher of San Diego. She got down on her knees and told him her story. He had heard all about her and gave her his blessing, validating her ministry. She would even
start a new order, Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour an order for women 45 and older who wanted to serve the less
fortunate. In addition to the blessing from Bishop Maher she also received the
blessing of Bishop Juan Jesus Posadas of Tijuana. She had church authorization for
her ministry from bishops in two separate countries.
After her kids were
grown, Mary gave away her belongings, moved out of her home in Ventura and
headed to La Mesa Prison. She had received permission to live there. Her new
home was to be a 10' by 10' cell in the women’s section of the prison. She
would live as any other inmate, sleeping in her concrete cell and having only
cold water and prison food. The amenities in her room included a Crucifix on
the wall, a Bible, Spanish dictionary and a hard, prison bed. In the morning,
she lined up with the other prisoners for roll call. This was to be her home
for the next thirty-two years.
"La Mama" also
became known as "The Prison Angel", She moved freely among the drug
traffickers, thieves, murderers, rapists and others, touching cheeks and
offering prayers. Many of these people were among the most violent and
desperate of both men and women. Yet she happily walked with them and comforted
and consoled them, dried their tears and held their heads between her hands as
they were dying. She even single handedly stopped prison riots.
Mother Antonia Brenner
truly saw the face of Christ in each and every prisoner she came in contact
with and extended mercy and love to them all. Why else would hardened
criminals, some who had never loved or been loved, call the diminutive woman
who hailed from Beverly Hills, "La Mama"? They loved her in return.
I believe that one day
Mother Antonia Brenner will be canonized a saint. She was an example for each
and every one of us showing us how to selflessly "love our neighbor"
no matter who that might be. Her life
also shows all of us that no matter who or what we are or where we have been or
what we have done, God is always calling us.
Mother Antonia, please
pray for us, especially during this Year of Mercy
Copyright ©Larry Peterson 2016
This article appeared in Aleteia.org on October 17,2016
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