Faith & Incarceration
A Series
Who Do You Say That I Am? © is an experiential resource for faith communities to explore wide ranging effects of Incarceration and to discern what our faith calls us to in response. The intergenerational guide is accessible and crafted for use in your parish, organization, school or small faith community.
Who Do You Say That I Am? © 2022 is a production of the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC). As such, CPMC reserves all copyrights to the resource. Reproduction with permission only.
Who do you say that I am? has three modules to be used together or individually. Each module is grounded in the See-Discern-Act model to lead participants through education, reflection, and discernment for action.
Connect faith with “visiting the imprisoned”.
Experience a sense of solidarity with those affected by incarceration.
Discern local ways to become involved in ministry to those affected by incarceration.
Identify overarching trends in the US carceral system.
As a coalition CPMC lifts up the good work being done by ministries and orgranizations throughout the country. Who Do You Say That I Am? © offers examples of ministries – many of whom have a presence in your community – doing the work of accompanying those impacted by incarceration. Each module details resources for further reflection and connections to organizations doing this work.
Pen Pal Program
There is a way to visit those in prison without having to go inside a prison unit. The anonymous Pen Pal program opens the door to an encounter without having to visit a facility.
Liturgical Guides
Since 2010, JRJI has been creating liturgical guides that contain the Sunday Scripture readings, a meditation from Fr. Mike Kennedy, and "Wisdom from the Cells" reflections, which are personal reflections from incarcerated youth and adults we work with, who have the desire to share their spiritual journey with the world.
Advocacy
State Catholic conferences often support and advocate for various legislative issues. See what ballot initiatives your state conference supports or what bills they are lobbying for that benefit those affected by incarceration.
We are excited to lift up artwork by those affected by incarceration. The intersection of art, marginalization, and healing is an intuitive interaction. We hope that the art of Derrick Quintero, his associates, and Mark Loughney is fruitful in your reflection on faith and incarceration.
Pyrrhic Defeat:
A Visual Study Of Mass Incarceration
“When my portrait project began in 2014 it didn't have a name or a clear direction. I started off drawing portraits of my fellow prisoners as gifts for their families, since cameras aren't allowed in prison and the portraits made for a unique gift to send home. I came up with the idea to collect them after one of my sitters realized he didn't have anyone left in his life to send the portrait home to."
Stations of the Cross
"This piece of art is a commentary on the continuing battle for our collective moral world view. It is a collaborative effort with several of my fellow artists, all of whom reside on Tennessee's death row. Not all are Christians, or even religious. Several chose to be anonymous. I asked my fellow community members to help me create this project to begin a conversation about what Justice looks like."
Download this Powerpoint to facilitate each module in the series with your community.
Watch the CPMC Education committee explore the practicalities of implementing this resource with your community.
In this Town Hall discussion, the CPMC Education committee offers a brief overview of the program’s modules followed by Q&A.
Download modules from this guide to participate in the sessions being held in your community.
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