Dismas Clark
Charles Dismas Clark (1901–1963) was a Jesuit priest in St. Louis who started Dismas House in 1959, the first halfway house for men leaving prison. He believed that giving ex-prisoners a decent home and a job would reduce the chance they would return to prison. For this work, he was nicknamed “The Hoodlum Priest.” In 1960, the film The Hoodlum Priest, starring Don Murray, came to St. Louis to tell his story.
Clark was born Charles Clark in 1901 in Pennsylvania and grew up in Illinois. He joined the Jesuits in 1919 and was ordained in 1932. He taught at Saint Louis University High School from 1934 to 1936, served as an Army chaplain in World War II, and later led retreats and parish missions. He was known for speaking frankly and connecting with people who had made mistakes rather than with those who were “the good people.”
His turning point came after he visited the City Jail in St. Louis and saw mistreatment of prisoners and unfair judgments. He decided to devote his life to helping men leave prison. He changed his first name to Dismas to connect with ex-convicts—the name of the Good Thief who was promised paradise.
With help from lawyer Morris Shenker, he founded Dismas House on Cole Street. The program later moved to a building on North Kingshighway and Cote Brillante in North St. Louis, in a former residence of the Brothers of Mary. Dismas House still exists today.
Clark died in 1963, worn out by years of hard work, including a battle to save a young man from Missouri’s gas chamber. He received support from the Teamsters Union, and local president Harold J. Gibbons helped provide jobs for residents. In 1965, Gibbons helped stage a fundraiser: Frank Sinatra’s Spectacular, a show by the Rat Pack and other stars, to benefit Dismas House. A recording of the show circulated and has appeared on TV and online.
The Hoodlum Priest film, released in 1961, depicted his life, with many scenes filmed in St. Louis.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:42 (CET).