Somerset, PA – PA Department of Corrections Superintendent Eric Tice announced Pastor Phil Maust, the Facility Chaplaincy Program Director at SCI Somerset, is the recipient of the Correctional Chaplain of the Year Award given by the Pennsylvania Prison Chaplains' Association.
"Pastor Maust exhibits genuine concern and compassion for others while ensuring the expectations of his position are met, and he expresses himself in a professional manner in all interactions. I want to thank him for all his hard work and congratulate him on this most well-deserved award," said Superintendent Tice.
Each year the PPCA looks to highlight the contributions of chaplains who have demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and compassion for both the inmates and staff.
Pastor Maust began his service with SCI Somerset as a community volunteer visiting the facility to minister to the inmates. He accepted the position as the Facility Chaplain in 1995, and was promoted to Facility Chaplaincy Program Director in May of 2005. He served on the Executive Committee with the Pennsylvania Prison Chaplains' Association for many years.
In addition, to the exemplary job that Pastor Maust provides on a regular basis, in February of 2018, during an unthinkable tragedy within our ranks at SCI Somerset, Pastor Maust stepped into action providing support to any staff that he could, as well as providing support to the family of the fallen officer Sgt. Mark Baserman. He traveled to the homes of staff members, which is very non-traditional, but became necessary during this situation. He established supportive relationships with many staff and their family members, and still made time to check in on his fellow Critical Incident Stress Management team members in the institution, and the inmate population who were hurting over this tragedy as well. He continues to offer support and assistance to the family of Sgt. Baserman, often attending public ceremonies with them as a support, as well as providing them with a listening ear when they need to talk. He continues to provide support to any staff who are struggling, and always maintains the confidence of those he helps.
Media Contact: Christie Schenck, PIO, 814-445-8100
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