Spring Creek Correctional Center caroling continues on

In the busy holiday season, setting aside time to perform live music in a Christmas program at Seward’s Spring Creek Correctional Facility requires dedication, practice and planning.

But it’s worth the effort to “spread the Catholic spirit of faith and joy, especially for people who don’t get to communicate with the world at all. It’s a way for me to show a little bit of love back to them in whatever way you can,” said pianist Derek Delgado. 

Delgado, a member of the Filipino/Gospel Choir at St. Anthony parish in Anchorage, has made the trek for three years along with the choir’s leader, Cal Williams. It takes about 20 performers to pull off the production, which was held on December 19 this Christmas season.  

The prison’s superintendent, Doyle Brueckner, has noticed the difference a little faith injects into an otherwise dismal time of year for the prisoners.

“It has been very well received and has made a big impact on prisoners here,” Brueckner said. “We do have other groups that come in from time to time, but Cal Williams’s group is the only one that has been a regular yearly thing. I think that it provides an opportunity for prisoners to get their minds off of their own circumstances and really consider the truth that God is looking down on them and has a plan for their life if they will surrender to His will.” 

To attend, each performer underwent a background check. Then came the day-long commitment that started early on December 19 with climbing on the bus in Anchorage. On arrival, Williams and his troupe performed two separate hour-long performances. They danced, sang and sent messages of peace.

Traditional Christmas music performed by a live band went a long way toward lifting spirits at the facility. But equally important was Cal Williams’ talk in gentle tones as he inspired them “to remain positive and feel free in spirit even though they are trapped behind prison walls.”

“Everybody’s different, brought there through different circumstances,” Williams said. “I’m sure some are in there who are innocent or didn’t have proper representation from their lawyer. The poor are in there in greater numbers than anybody, including a number of people from the Native community.”

In order to offer the performers a free ride, each year, Williams raises funds for transportation provided by Premier Alaska Tours – a luxury that means the performers can practice on the bus ride and no one needs to drive. The bus ride costs upwards of $2,000 for the bus, with food donations thrown in for the three meals needed to feed the carolers. The day starts at 8:30 a.m. and won’t end until they return to Anchorage at about 9 p.m. 

“It’s a scenic drive – singing and eating and carrying on,” Williams said, noting that the same woman who drove them in 2025 drove them in previous years.

The engagement at Spring Creek started when Williams gave a Juneteenth celebration talk at the prison to explain the history of the holiday, at the invitation of an anonymous prisoner. 

“That was in 2023, and he put together a program that included a lunch of soul food. Soon, he asked me if I could put together another group for Christmas music. And God put it together. We went down that same year,” Williams said. 

The Christmas mission weaves into Williams’ lifelong Catholic background of involvement. Growing up in Monroe, Louisiana, he said, “It’s part of my upbringing, starting from a parochial school run by the Franciscans. I lived across the street from the school and the church – they always taught us to look out for the marginalized and the underdog.” 

He first taught parenting classes in a halfway house, and that led to other opportunities to speak to people coming out of jail. He served on the Governor’s Correctional Industries Commission under Gov. Tony Knowles. Each prison conducts its own cottage industry, such as Goose Creek, which oversees a meat processing plant, Fairbanks, which has a clothing and bedding industry, and so on. In Seward, inmates gain skills in furniture making.

“I have an affinity toward giving people a second chance,” Williams said. “It’s the message that they can take each day to improve themselves and become a better person.”  

People interested in joining the choir can contact Cal Williams at (907) 276-8698.