Deacon Don Allison teaches that you should always forgive, and he embodied that lesson when he befriended the man who shot him.
In 1996, Allison was walking to his car after working late one night when he was held up at gunpoint. The man demanded his wallet and car. Allison gave him everything, but it wasn’t enough. The man shot at him twice, with the second bullet hitting Allison in the leg. The bullet was a 38 hollow-point, and it passed through his right thigh and lodged in his left calf.
The assailant, Marcus Cheffen, was later arrested and sentenced to 95 years in prison for two counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of armed robbery, with no chance of parole. Allison went on to make a full recovery, and for a long time, believed the chapter was closed.
That changed 20 years later, when a change in the law made Cheffen eligible for parole.
“For the first 20 years, I was unwavering about being tough on crime and believed that people who commit crimes should pay the price and serve their sentence, especially the guy who tried to kill me.”
Allison kept that mindset going into Cheffen’s 2016 parole hearing. Despite Cheffen’s claims of being a changed man, Allison didn’t believe him and testified against his release. Parole was denied and the offender remained in prison.
After the hearing, Allison began to wonder if he made the right decision.
To find out, he joined the Victim-Offender Dialogue program, a process where victims and offenders speak separately with a trained facilitator to begin understanding each other. The process typically takes about 18 months and can lead to a face-to-face meeting if both parties agree.
“My goal was to determine what kind of person he really was.”
In 2017, Allison received the call to become a deacon. A year later, he began the deacon formation program at FranU, where his journey of forgiveness truly began.
“I was learning the importance and value of forgiveness. This was sinking into me during my first year at FranU.”
Deacon Don acknowledged that all four FranU Thelogy professors were instrumental during this reflective period, specifically: Dr. Shaun Blanchard, Dr. Brian Pedraza, Dr. John Meinert and Dr. David Whidden.
“I started asking myself, ‘Do I just accept his apology and forgive him, or do I go further?’” He decided to go further.
In August 2019, shortly after completing his first year at FranU, Allison met face to face with Marcus. At the meeting, he forgave him. Then, he took another step. He agreed to help Marcus get a second parole hearing and to testify on Marcus’ behalf at that second hearing.
The deacon now shares his experience with everyone – from students to ministry groups to prison inmates. “Every chance I get to speak about forgiveness, I do it. I think this is my mission as a deacon. I tell the story and it’s powerful. My message is simple – If you want to be forgiven, you must forgive. And I use several quotes from Jesus where he stated that fact clearly, including the Our Father prayer.”
“If I’m not at St. Aloysius, it’s likely that I’m ministering to prisoners who have done horrible things.”
His friendship with Marcus grew out of that forgiveness, and he owes it to his time as a FranU student.
“My first year of the deacon formation classes at FranU influenced my decision to forgive Marcus and help him get his release. It’s also the reason we’re still friends today.”
The two now speak together to various groups and meet for lunch whenever they can.
“I’m often asked, ‘Why do you spend so much time in prisons?’ My answer is because when you walk into one, you find that prisons are filled with children of God. Through the grace of God, we’re all one mistake away from being in their shoes.”
His advice?
“You’ve got to forgive. But understand that forgiveness is not forgetting. You’re not supposed to forget. You remember so it doesn’t happen again. Don’t forget. But do forgive. It’s an awesome feeling when you finally do forgive. It’s a release and an incredibly healing experience.”
Learn more about Don Allison and Marcus’ story here.
Apply
Visit