A recent Sacred Heart Ceremony was held at the Coryell Health Chapel. The special ceremony was conducted by 95-year old Meadows pastor Will Sohns.
The dedication service was centered around a painting donated to the chapel by Don and Marcia Strieber who had commissioned former TDCJ inmate, Mario Ayala, to paint a recreation of Michaelangelo’s sculpture of the Pieta which depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus Christ following his crucifixion.
The artist, Mario Ayala, born in 1962, a Mexican American had been married four times and had four children.
At age 25, he committed murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. While incarcerated at the George Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony near Palestine, Mario was converted to Christ.
In 1994, while in prison, Ayala began painting. From 1999 until 2023, Mario was imprisoned in maximum security at the Hughes Unit in Gatesville.
He was paroled in 2023 after serving 36 years.
Don and Marcia Strieber of Gatesville, friends of Coryell Health ReHab Living at the Meadows, have also participated in volunteer prison ministry at the Hughes Unit.
Through their connection with Mario, they secured him to paint the Pieta.
Speaking to Ayala, Don Strieber said, “We’re very happy you are with us today to do the actual hanging of your painting here in the chapel.”
About the painting, Ayala said, “It was almost like saying this is redemption in your arms.”
The Coryell Health Chapel holds a unique and meaningful place within Coryell Health. The chapel is a peaceful space created for patients, residents, family members, and staff. Open year-round, the chapel offers a place for prayer, reflection, comfort and hope.
“We’re just so happy to have this space in the community for people to enjoy,” said Rev. Sohns.