Like an orange calico cat peering into an aquarium of active goldfish, he sits behind a thick pane of glass and watches everyone else walk by and interact.

He cannot say hello.

He cannot tell anyone if he has medical problems.

He can’t even ask for a fuzzy towel.

And like the cat anxiously wanting to dip its paw into the water, the Spanish-speaking inmate at the Daviess County (Ky.) jail wants nothing more than to be able to answer when the English-speaking officer asks if he’s OK, or if the other inmates just want to socialize.

Since July, Glenmary senior member Father Fid Levri has been working to help Hispanic inmates get past the language barrier of isolation.

Twice a week, Father Fid passes through the clinking doors without handles with a handful of worksheets in one hand and a guitar in the other. About 12-15 inmates, some of whom know a little bit of English, while others don’t know any, are waiting in a classroom. Many are prepared with questions about cursive writing or how to say “I need a towel.”

Father Fid started teaching the English classes because he was concerned Hispanics were being ignored as they were visited only occasionally since so few local priests and ministers speak Spanish.

“The first thing I asked was what is your needs, how can I help you,” Father Fid said.

Since then, the priest, who spent about two months in Mexico to learn Spanish, has been teaching inmates how to sing church songs in Spanish and English and helping them with simple spoken and written phrases.

During his five years in America, Almansa Agustin learned fairly fluent Enlgish on the streets. He said Father Fid’s classes have helped him gain confidence in his writing and speaking.

“If you don’t know some words, he can help,” Agustin said. “I said, ‘Tell me when I’m not talking right,’ and he helps me talk better.”

Agustin said the lessons have been especially helpful to inmates who didn’t know any English because they can now communicate with other inmates and officers. He said it also helps inmates such as himself write letters and be able to enter the workforce once they are released.

Jailer David Osborne echoed Agustin’s observation.

“I feel like everything we can do to improve them, improve their lives, will benefit their families and the community at large,” he said.

Sgt. Bill Billings, the supervisor at the jail, said that in the short time the classes have been taking place, he has already noticed a difference in the Hispanic inmates. The inmates are interacting more with others and are able to ask legal questions, such as when their release date is, he said.

“I would walk in the cells and ask how’s everybody doing,” Billings said. “Before there wouldn’t be an answer. Now they say, ‘Doing good.’”

Reprinted with permission from the Sept. 5, 2006 issue of the Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.