Rosary & Bible gave Hope to incarcerated mother of four

Sister Mary Immaculate of the Eucharist Rinalde, SOLT, oversees the needs of the women who live in Hope House. She is pictured above with Crystal Aleman and one of her four daughters, Marianna. Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

Pregnant, afraid and alone, Crystal Aleman was contemplating the futility of her 28 years of existence on the floor of a jail cell when a complete stranger gave her a rosary and spoke to her of God. For the first time in many years Aleman began to pray and her prayers led her to Hope House and on the road to redemption.

When Aleman had been in this state of complete hopelessness, she had no idea where two of her daughters were and was scared for the baby that was growing inside her. Probably facing a second stint in prison for drugs and alcohol, she said that she felt like a failure.

“I had no hope and everything was gone. I was by myself in a hole,” she said.

At the age of 13, Aleman began making some poor life choices. Like many teenagers, she became restless and rebellious and was pregnant for the first time. She was too young to receive food stamps, so she moved in with her drug-addicted boyfriend and his mother. She would not listen to her parents, dropped out of school and began working to take care of herself and her baby.

As the years went by, she had two more girls and lost custody of both of them. Finding herself attracted to the “party life” she said she chose drugs and alcohol over her girls. She served time in prison after getting involved with an abusive man and his dangerous lifestyle.

Aleman recalled the turning point for her was on the morning that she found herself lying on the floor of her tiny jail cell. She attended a church service offered to the inmates in jail. While walking into the service, she eyed a Bible sitting on a microwave and, in her own words, “snatched it.”

After the service, a man working in prison ministry spoke to her and gave her a rosary. She began to pray every day. She knew how to pray, because she attended CCD and Vacation Bible School when she was a little girl, and pray she did.

The judge took pity on her and the baby inside her, and after serving some months in jail she was released.

When she spoke to Hope House Caseworker Gilda Maher, Aleman was given a second chance to get her life and family back together. She knew her two-year-old Aria was in the foster-care system where she had been her entire life. Like most mothers who have to give up their baby at birth, Aleman had no idea exactly where Aria was.

With the help of Child Protective Services and Sister Mary Immaculate of the Eucharist Rinalde, SOLT, who oversees the needs of the residents of Hope House, she was able to find Aria and get custody of her as well as her eldest daughter Kaitlyn. Destiney, her nine-year old daughter, has always lived with the father’s mother and “is happy and well cared for,” Aleman said.

According to Melissa Juarez, Executive Director of Hope House, Aleman has always had a great attitude. From the very beginning she would say how blessed she was.

“She has always wanted to move forward and use the tools offered to her at Hope House. She wanted the help. Crystal was eager to start work,” Juarez said.

Aleman gave birth to baby Marianna while living at Hope House and was provided with all the essentials to take care of her. Besides providing a place for them to live, Hope House provided pampers, wipes, clothes, bus passes, tuberculosis shots and assistance in getting food stamps.

The staff at Hope House drive the children under their care to and from school and day care and they also integrate the residents back into society by helping them find suitable housing, help with deposits and utilities. In addition to receiving the essentials, residents meet with their caseworkers once a week. They take Life Skills classes where they learn about parenting, budgeting, disciplining and job interviewing.

With help from the Corpus Christi Housing Authority and Hope House, Aleman lives in her own place with three of her girls. She is holding down a job at a fast food restaurant and plans on getting her GED and hopes to become a real estate agent.

She is hoping to get Marianna and Aria baptized at St. Anthony Church in Robstown soon and will begin the process of getting Kaitlyn baptized and confirmed.

She knows there will be tough times ahead for them. There is still much healing to go through, but she knows that if she keeps on seeking God, doors—like those at Hope House—will continue to open.