Category: Restored by Compassion

by Bobby Ehnow, Ph.D. Diocese of San Diego We can all accompany our incarcerated citizens in prayer and “agapeic love” understanding that we are in communion with them regardless of the fences and the walls that may separate us from everyday encounters.

by Julia Tully Villanova M.A. in Theology & Ministry Jesus had a living, breathing, incarcerated body, and that therefore there were implications for Christians about how we are called to minister to those who our society has thrown away, and what reconciliation and forgiveness mean. Many of the conversations I had at Graterford were with men who know that they are loved and forgiven by a compassionate God.

by Brittany Holberg Texas Women's Death Row I do not want to spoil the story in case you decide to read it, so I will simply say that in the face of death and tremendous adversity, [he] refused to abandon these people, no matter what they did or what was going on around them.

by Sisters of Mary Morning Star Two years ago, Deacon Ronnie knocked at the door of our convent in Waco, Texas. He boldly asked us if we might come visit the women on death row at the Mountain View Unit. The Holy Spirit pushed us...

by Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, MTS Catholic Mobilizing Network Those who come into contact with the criminal legal system know that it dehumanizes, disenfranchises, and demoralizes. People who experience poverty and mental illness, victims of abuse, and people of color are overrepresented on death row and throughout our carceral system. This creates a critical need for prison, jail, reentry, and detention ministers — those willing to bear witness to the suffering wrought by this system, and prepared to accompany people through it.

by Jack Pachuta Iconographer "Deacon Ronnie Lastovica has been visiting women on death row in Mountain View Prison in Gatesville, TX, for over 8 years. Six of the women on death row have become Oblates of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star. He discovered that these women have been including CPMC’s Mary, Mother of Captives prayer card in their correspondence. I was very honored to know my art work was being used in that way."

by Jarrod Kinkley Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition Many Dioceses and organizations are gathering their ministers and supporters together in one place to attend the conference and to have an in-person opportunity to support and encourage each other. This is wonderful! Some of those groups have asked for suggestions of how to do this and still fully participate in the virtual conference. Below are a few suggestions.

by Brittany Holberg Texas Women's Death Row You have a battlefield every time you step through another prison gate. Your injured may not show their wounds visibly but they are just as serious, if not more.

by Jayna Hoffacker Archdiocese of Atlanta The revolution of tenderness must begin with ministering to and accompanying those who are most in need of it - our sisters and brothers whose dignity and existence is threatened daily.

by Doug Sandvig Order of Malta We profess to believe in the dignity of all human beings, but what does that look like? In a practical way, how do we show respect for the life of those who sit in prison cells?