Those working in prison ministry, and those who are interested, are invited to two upcoming bilingual information gatherings in Blackwood.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, there will be a presentation aimed at strengthening and encouraging those currently involved in prison ministry at jails or prisons in the Diocese of Camden. This meeting will offer guidance, reorientation and diocesan resources.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, there will be an opportunity for those contemplating serving in prisons or jails as volunteers, or as those who wish to pray for the incarcerated, to learn more about the formation process.
Both programs will be held from 4-6 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope Parish Hall in Blackwood, 701 Little Gloucester Road. They will be led by Father Cesar Pirateque Serrano, director of prison ministry for the Diocese of Camden, in English and Spanish.
According to statistics, nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls visiting the imprisoned a corporal work of mercy; it’s rooted in the Gospel of Matthew 25:35-36: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
The programs in Blackwood will prepare attendees “to be witnesses of Christ in our Catholic faith and advocates of human dignity and restorative justice,” said Jo Anne B. Farrell, program coordinator, Addictions Healing Services, and part-time prison ministry for Catholic Charities of South Jersey.
Prison ministers – who can be laypeople, priests, deacons and religious – encounter the incarcerated in such ways as leading Bible studies and communion services, administering the sacraments and providing religious education.
Important for this effort is a mindfulness to the ministry of presence, Farrell noted. Ministers are dedicated to “accompaniment, walking along with, listening without judgment, praying with and being Christ to the person who is incarcerated.”
It’s also important to remember the families of the men and women in jail or prison.
“Just think about the mother whose son sits in a prison cell, the father whose daughter is incarcerated in the county jail, the sister who misses her brother, and the child waiting for their parent to come home,” Farrell said.
As such, parish-level activities that are a part of prison ministry will also be discussed at the meetings. These include the Angel Tree Project, which brings Christmas gifts to children of the incarcerated.
For more information, call 856-228-4331, ext. 106, or e-mail cesar.serrano@camdendiocese.org, or joanne.farrell@camdendiocese.org.
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