The Cleveland Family Story

A Story of Radical Trust: Carl Cleveland and the Miracle of Divine Mercy
By Caroline Sholl and Beth Maillho

Some stories do more than inspire—they reorient the soul. Our Dad's story, Carl Cleveland's, is one of those stories. Often referred to as the “Divine Mercy Miracle,” it is not centered on a single dramatic event, but on something far more profound: what happens when a man entrusts everything to God in the midst of injustice and suffering.

Our Dad was a successful businessman, husband, and father of 6 daughters. He was a trial attorney who could captivate a courtroom as easily as a restaurant full of strangers. He was prideful and a ton of fun. His life changed abruptly when he was wrongfully accused of white collar crimes like tax evasion, arrested, and put on trial. After a very public trial which led the evening news in New Orleans, our Dad was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In a short span of time, he lost his reputation, his career, his home, and his freedom. Everything he had worked for vanished. Our Mom, Joey, and we girls were left to pick up the pieces.

For many, such devastation would lead to bitterness, rage, or despair. Carl chose a different path. When the prison doors closed behind him, Carl made a radical interior decision: I will trust God completely. He placed his life into the hands of God's Divine Mercy. He stopped fighting for control and instead surrendered the outcome to Jesus. In a place where he seemingly had no control, he doubled down. He gave up salt on his food, sugar in his coffee, committed to rigorous physical and spiritual exercises.

Part of the spiritual discipline included praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily. What followed was unexpected. Though his external circumstances remained grim, something inside him changed. He experienced a peace that made no worldly sense. In a place designed to break men, Carl became free.

Other inmates noticed. They began asking him questions. Some asked him to pray with them. Guards observed the calm and kindness he carried. Carl shared the Chaplet with fellow prisoners, and small prayer groups formed. Men who were hardened by years of violence and regret began to soften. The atmosphere around him shifted—not because the prison changed, but because he did.

Carl later described this period as the most spiritually rich time of his life. He came to see that God had not abandoned him. He discovered that even behind bars, grace was abundant. He found joy where despair should have reigned. He learned that true freedom is not the absence of chains, but the presence of Christ. Carl’s prison cell became a sanctuary. His suffering became redemptive. His trust became a living testimony.

That was a miracle.

Meanwhile, outside the prison walls, we were living in grief and confusion. We were losing everything: stability, income, security, and the future we had imagined. But we witnessed something astonishing—our father was becoming radiant with peace.

Our last hope was a Hail Mary through the courts. We asked everyone to join us in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet the week between Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday. Through a series of unlikely and providential events, the Unites States Supreme Court agreed to review his case. The injustice unraveled. Against all odds, his conviction was unanimously overturned on Easter Thursday. The charges were dropped. The man who had been buried by disgrace walked free.

That was another miracle.

Our Dad did not emerge angry or embittered. He came out transformed. The man who entered prison rich with the world walked out with with nothing but a brown paper bag of his belongings—yet he gained everything. He had learned to live in total dependence on God. He had encountered God's Divine Mercy in its purest form. (The picture above is from right after Dad's release from prison.)

Our oldest sister, Kitty, would later write this story in her book,From Prison to Paradise: A Story of Radical Trust in God’s Divine Mercy. The title captures the paradox at the heart of their experience: paradise is not always a change in circumstances. Sometimes, it is a change of heart.

The “Divine Mercy Miracle” is not only that a wrong was made right. It is that a man learned to say, in the darkest place imaginable: “Jesus, I trust in You.” And in doing so, he became free long before he walked through the prison gates for the last time. You can read an excerpt from our Dad's chapter in the book Amazing Grace for Those Who Suffer here.

Because of the faith journey that our family endured, the miracles have continued: four of the Cleveland daughters are now in ministry. Kitty travels the world encouraging people in their walk with the Lord through speaking engagements, retreats, and her soul-stirring music. Connie, Beth, and Caroline are all moms of 4 and Christian Pastoral Counselors. We consider this proof that God has a sense of humor, since we’re all wonderfully different, yet somehow called into the same work with the same number of children. Our two other sisters live in California: Trish is a seamstress and makes the most beautiful pillow cases, slip covers, and clothing; and, Caitlinleads a non-profit for adults and children with special needs.

Our family’s story is living proof that God wastes nothing—not suffering, not injustice, not even the darkest seasons. What began in a prison cell became a legacy of mercy that now ripples outward through music, ministry, counseling, and compassionate service. The miracle did not end when our father walked free; it continues in every life touched by the faith that was born in chains. God's Divine Mercy did more than restore what was lost—it multiplied it. And through our Dad’s simple, courageous prayer, we learned that when a heart dares to say, “Jesus, I trust in You,” God can turn even the most broken chapters into a story that brings hope to the world.