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| "Whom Shall I Send?" An Introduction to Catholic Prison Ministry Volunteer Training Series CLICK FOR PREVIEW The Church increasingly looks to the laity to provide the first line of Catholic ministry to inmates and detainees in our prisons and jails. This video was made to encourage and affirm those in the laity who believe they are called to serve incarcerated men, women and children. Our original goal for this video was to inspire ordinary faithful Catholics to consider volunteering to minister to the incarcerated in their community. The project grew as we surveyed the whole range of ministry to the incarcerated. We soon realized that in order to complete the circle of ministry to those in prisons and jails we needed to speak to the need for mentoring those same individuals after their release. Beyond that, we also felt it was important to raise awareness, if only briefly, of the judicial concept of “Restorative Justice”. My prayerful hope is that through this video you will see, with the eyes of faith and discernment, people like yourself responding to their baptismal call to serve in the Church. The volunteers you will meet in this video have responded to their call by serving those incarcerated in prisons and jails. You will also meet volunteers who minister to those recently released from prison. This video was made to accompany a parish-based ‘live’ training session which is critical to preparing volunteers for ministry in local correctional facilities. The video, however, can be used alternatively as a motivational tool to raise awareness and encourage further inquiry by potential volunteers. In this video you will see and hear the personal testimonies of individual volunteers and ex-offenders. Their stories are as unique as they are as individuals. And yet throughout the presentation you will observe a brilliant thread of faith running through each of their narratives, weaving together, as it were, all of their stories into one great ‘Hosanna’ in response to our Lord’s call. Blessings on all of you who view this video and respond to our Lord’s invitation (Matthew 25:35) to visit and serve those separated by incarceration from the praying community. Ricardo Ramírez, C.S.B. |
Office of Prison and Jail Ministry
Mr. Emilio Ramos
eramos@dioceseoflascruces.org
The Office of Prison and Jail Ministry was established by Bishop Ricardo Ramírez in 1995 to serve incarcerated Catholics and others throughout the Diocese of Las Cruces. The mission of this all-volunteer lay ministry is to coordinate access for incarcerated persons to the Sacraments, celebration of the Liturgy and bible studies. The ministry works closely with parishes across the diocese in developing and training parish-based lay ministers to serve the incarcerated in local facilities and their families.
Prison and Jail volunteer staff members are available to visit parishes to speak about this ministry and our mission. These informational visits to the local parishes offer an opportunity for those who may be interested in becoming a lay minister to the incarcerated to hear more about the program. After the presentation, interested individuals may meet with a Prison and Jail lay volunteer for a one-to-one question and answer conversation. Training seminars for new lay volunteers are held several times a year in Las Cruces. Additional training seminars are available to parishes throughout the diocese.
The Prison and Jail Ministry of the Diocese of Las Cruces requires new volunteers to register and complete the diocesan training program before they may minister to the incarcerated as a Catholic lay minister. After successfully completing the training program the volunteer is awarded a certificate signed by Bishop Ramírez. In addition, new volunteers must attend an orientation sponsored by the correctional facility where he or she will volunteer. Volunteers for the Prison and Jail Ministry are normally members of a local parish in the vicinity of the facility where they wish to serve as a lay minister. In the course of registration and orientation, the volunteer's Pastor will be asked to comment briefly as to the volunteer's talents and skills for this ministry.
For more information please write or call:
Prison and Jail Ministry
Pastoral Center
1280 Med Park Drive
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Telephone: 505-523-7577 e-Mail: eramos@dioceseoflascruces.org