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 Original Franciscan "Third Order"  -- Confraternity of Penitents Make Every Day a Path to Holiness   Donate Alessandro Catholic Prison Ministry https://www.franciscanthirdorderpenitents.com/catholic-prison-ministry The Alessandro Prison Ministry welcomes prisoners who are genuinely interested in growing deeper in their Catholic faith through study and through living a religious Rule of Life. Through the Alessandro Ministry, incarcerated men and women may enter formation in the Confraternity of Penitents, live the Rule while in  prison, and prepare to live the Rule when released. Special concessions are made for those serving life sentences. There are many groups which provide Catholic instruction, Bible Study, and fellowship to prisoners. Many Third Orders and Oblate groups also accept prisoners into membership. Because the Confraternity is much more than a Bible Study or Catholic fellowship and because its members are following a rather rigorous Rule  of Life which many may

 Oblates of St. Benedict – Living the Monastic Rhythm in Prison Oblates of St. Benedict - Living the Monastic Rhythm in Prison https://catholicstand.com/oblates-of-st-benedict-living-the-monastic-rhythm-in-prison/ via @AnthonySLayne  By Dom Cingoranelli 5 July AD 2020 5 Comments Island, trust, grace, friends Jim Blum, a member of the Oblates of St. Benedict, began operations at My Father’s House in Denver in 2018. After serving 20 years in prison, he was blessed to go home to a welcoming family environment. The home Jim encountered in his newfound freedom was, as he says, much more than simply a physical space. His home provided him an atmosphere of love and support as he reintegrated back into society. Jim realized that not many men coming out of prison have access to this kind of concern and support to help them heal and become productive members of their community. Jim’s is a unique ministry. So is his path to joining the Oblates of St. Benedict. A Unique Path to Oblation Born a Cat

 An Evolving Inquiry of Monastic Spiritual Care for Aging Inmates Alex Bishop1 and Kevin Randall2 Author information Copyright and License information PMC Disclaimer Abstract This investigation involved focus-group inquiry of the Oblates in Prison Program, a faith-based ministry founded on monastic principles in the Rule of St. Benedict. Data from a Benedictine Order monk and program coordinator, ordained prison minister, and lay ministry volunteer were collected. Participants were asked a series of questions regarding the spiritual care of aging prisoners. Responses were coded and cross-compared for thematic content. Of central thematic importance was implementation of a spiritual care model using traditional monastic rules for daily living. A second theme centered on purposeful rebuilding of self-renewal through stability and obedience. A final emergent theme encompassed institutional acceptance in the provision of religious sacraments, sacred texts, and artifacts. Results highlight

 Oblate In Prison Ministry Shares Hope Posted on December 2, 2009 https://www.omiusa.org/index.php/2009/12/02/oblate-in-prison-ministry-shares-hope/ Father Michael O’Hara, O.M.I. is involved in one of the most challenging of all Christian ministries.  He serves as the chaplain at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City, a federal prison that houses some of the most notorious criminals in the world. The bosses of various crime families in and around New York City have been and are incarcerated there.  Investment fraud perpetrator Bernie Madoff was an inmate for a time at MCC, sharing a cell that was smaller than the walk-in closet of his Manhattan penthouse. But despite the heinous crimes committed by some of the inmates, Fr. O’Hara’s work at the prison is much more positive than negative.  He describes his task as pre-evangelization, showing people that their lives have value even though they have been convicted of serious crimes.   Father O’Hara sums up his ministr

 Oblates are individuals who usually live in general society yet are dedicated to God and God's service. There are currently around 70 Oblates with Ampleforth Abbey. Becoming an Oblate involves making a formal commitment to applying the Rule of St Benedict in your life. They dedicate themselves to serving the poor in parishes, schools, prisons, among the youth and with those on the streets. The Oblates preach Christ to the poor and the most abandoned and have served them in Australia for more than 100 years. https://www.ampleforthabbey.org.uk/oblates#:~:text=Oblates%20are%20individuals%20who%20usually,St%20Benedict%20in%20your%20life. https://www.benedictine-oblates.net/monasteries-convents/ https://saintjohnsabbey.org/oblate-history ---------------------------- https://omi.com.au/about-us#:~:text=The%20Oblates%20in%20Australia&text=They%20dedicate%20themselves%20to%20serving,for%20more%20than%20100%20years. ---------------------------------- https://smarymag.org/ministry-oblat

 Oblates Hope to Expand Prison Ministry Published on Wednesday 30 June 2021 UNITED STATES Originally published on www.omiusa.org By Mike Viola Consistent with a goal of empowering lives through education, Oblate School of Theology (OST) partnered with the Texas Department of Criminal  Justice, the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the Ministry of the Third Cross to offer a transformational educational experience for incarcerated individuals. “We were the first Catholic institution of higher education in Texas to offer a program of adult faith formation in a prison, and we now have  multiple places asking if they can be part of the program,” said Dr. Scott Woodward, President of OST. OST President, Scott Woodward (R) with one of the men at the facility School officials created the two-year program as a way for motivating offenders within five years of parole eligibility to reflect on and study the  faith in order to change their lives for the better, both during their incarceration and aft

 Former prisoner Chris Santillan describes his encounter with Jesus through the prison ministry at Potosi Correctional Center, where he was an inmate for 28 years. Prison ministry https://youtu.be/6WRG2kLadgo?si=kOzI9jxRbrAzGRkc via @YouTube 

 Prison Oblates - A Ministry of St. Benedict's Abbey https://youtu.be/MfT8oADGqNk?si=xqdFkRkM6eUcW5br via @YouTube  228 views  Apr 13, 2023 In this video, Fr. Matthew Habiger, OSB, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Craig Cummins, Brother Julian Bissen and Brian O'Connell discuss St. Benedict's Abbey's Prison Oblate program and the impact that it has on the lives of the incarcerated men and women it serves.

 Program brings ‘structure and purpose’ to inmates’ lives https://theleaven.org/program-brings-structure-and-purpose-to-inmates-lives/  Program brings ‘structure and purpose’ to inmates’ lives October 19, 20181 Commentby Marc & Julie Anderson Since 2014, Father Matthew Habiger, OSB, has served as spiritual director and coordinator of the Oblates in Prison program. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JD BENNING by Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org ATCHISON — While most Catholics have a number of ways to discover a path to holiness through the Carmelites, Secular Franciscans or other third orders, the incarcerated often have few choices. One monk is changing that. Since 2014, Father Matthew Habiger, OSB, has served as spiritual director and coordinator of the Oblates in Prison program, an adaptation of the Benedictine Oblates as outlined in 2004 by Father Louis Kirby, OSB. “He tailored the oblate movement,” said Father Matthew. It made sense to Father Louis that prisoners could grow in vi

 Oblates Bring Faith and an Experience of Being Human to the Incarcerated People from around the St. Louis area come to King’s House Retreat and Renewal Center in Belleville to experience faith renewal through retreats preached by Oblate Fathers Salvador Gonzalez and Mark Dean.  For some who are most in need of spiritual renewal however, coming to King’s House isn’t possible, which is why the Fathers each participate in one four-day weekend per year at Menard Correctional Facility outside Chester, Illinois. Menard is the second-oldest prison in the state, a maximum-security facility housing some 3,700 inmates.  Originally opened in 1878, the newer structures sprinkled among the old brownstone buildings and walls can’t overcome the atmosphere of an ancient fortress. The prison allows two retreats per year, and each attracts 42 residents.  Fathers Dean and Gonzalez each do one of the retreats.  Father Gonzalez led the most recent retreat in April.  He was joined by an ecumenical team of

 The most unchurched population in the U.S. 2.3 million people in the U.S. are affected by incarceration each year, the most unchurched population in our country. We are on a mission to change that. We will stop at nothing to ensure every inmate in the U.S. has direct and personal access to the Gospel. We want to help them grow their faith, heal trauma and emotional wounds, break addictions and cycles, and allow every person behind bars to step into their calling as sons and daughters of the Most High. It’s a simple fact that less than 15% of inmates are serving life sentences, and up to as many as 90% of all incarcerated individuals will be released back to society at some point. 75% of those released will return to prison within three years. God Behind Bars addresses this drastic recidivism problem with a unique approach that focuses on the spiritual, physical, and relational needs of inmates and their families. https://www.godbehindbars.com/about Hope Behind Bars https://youtu.be/OY

A Baptism on Death Row https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/18327 A Baptism on Death Row May 31st, 2011 San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison in California, is an iconic American prison. Over 150 years old, it has witnessed thousands of prisoners pass through its massive iron gates. As all prisons, it has developed within its walls a spirit of oppression and cruelty. Over the past few decades it has witnessed the greatest growth in incarceration in American history. Since the late 1970s, penology in the United States has steadily turned away from hope in the power of rehabilitation and reform and has instead embraced an ideology of incapacitation and revenge. In the face of such cynicism and indifference to the plight of the incarcerated (and their families), Catholic prison ministry calls out more than ever for American Jesuits to become involved in what some have termed the "prison-industrial complex." It is in this darkness that I see t

 A Sign Of Light http://disq.us/t/3ntiok9  A Sign Of Light The meaning the Jesuit priest serving at San Quentin finds on death row. Words by George Williams, S.J. Illustrations by Matt Chinworth. 14 Mar 2020 “For this is my body, which will be given up for you.” Saying these words, I lift up the host for the men inside the cage to see. The “chapel” in San Quentin State Prison’s death row is a windowless old shower room encased in a heavy metal cage. Inside are six wooden benches bolted to the floor upon which the members of my congregation sit. I stand, a black stab-proof vest over my priestly vestments, inside my own cage about twice the size of an old phone booth. As required by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, I have padlocked myself inside. All this makes me, to my knowledge, the only Jesuit in my community who regularly celebrates Mass in a Kevlar vest. Mag 2 As I raise the consecrated host, the harsh flourescent light illuminates it. I look past it to

 A Sign Of Light http://disq.us/t/3ntiok9  san Q https://www.catholicprisonministries.org/webinar/how-catholic-prison-ministries-coalition-works-for-you https://www.catholicprisonministries.org/webinar/rituals-communion-services-in-prison https://www.catholicprisonministries.org/webinar/catholic-imagination-for-a-world-beyond-prison https://thejesuitpost.org/author/gwilliamssj/ https://archseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jailand-Prison-Ministry_Training_101_Flier_2022Sept_fnl-min.pdf 2021 Arrupe Series: Fr. George Williams, S.J., Ph.D. https://youtu.be/fxJ0lF47Ljw?si=bupN91906ITqalb3 via @YouTube   Prison Oblates - A Ministry of St. Benedict's Abbey  Prison Oblates - A Ministry of St. Benedict's Abbey https://youtu.be/MfT8oADGqNk?si=xqdFkRkM6eUcW5br via @YouTube  228 views  Apr 13, 2023 In this video, Fr. Matthew Habiger, OSB, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Craig Cummins, Brother Julian Bissen and Brian O'Connell discuss St. Benedict's Abbey's Prison Oblate program a