Saint Dismas Prison Ministry
Saint Dismas Prison Ministry was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2000 to offer spiritual services for Catholic prisoners in the United States. The president is George Williams, a Jesuit priest.
Description
The ministry provides prisoners materials such as Bibles, rosaries, and other prayer resources, as well as faith study courses. It provides materials for training those involved in prison or jail ministry. Prisoners and prison chaplains who are not Catholic may also request the materials. It collaborates with parishes and dioceses. It was named after Dismas, the repentant thief.
It hosts an annual, national conference with speakers such as Sr. Helen Prejean. It publishes a ministry newsletter three times a year.
History
The ministry was founded in 2000 by Ron Zeilinger who found no "Catholic organization of a national scope providing Catholic materials”, and also that prison volunteers who were not Catholic outnumbered Catholics ministering in prisons by 40 to 1.
In 2010 the ministry reached over 700 prisons in 43 states and 116 dioceses. In 2018 it reached 12,000 inmates. Since founding it has supplied 128,400 Catholic Bibles and 163,400 copies of Pray in the Spirit: Catholic Prayers for Inmates.
Description
The ministry provides prisoners materials such as Bibles, rosaries, and other prayer resources, as well as faith study courses. It provides materials for training those involved in prison or jail ministry. Prisoners and prison chaplains who are not Catholic may also request the materials. It collaborates with parishes and dioceses. It was named after Dismas, the repentant thief.
It hosts an annual, national conference with speakers such as Sr. Helen Prejean. It publishes a ministry newsletter three times a year.
History
The ministry was founded in 2000 by Ron Zeilinger who found no "Catholic organization of a national scope providing Catholic materials”, and also that prison volunteers who were not Catholic outnumbered Catholics ministering in prisons by 40 to 1.
In 2010 the ministry reached over 700 prisons in 43 states and 116 dioceses. In 2018 it reached 12,000 inmates. Since founding it has supplied 128,400 Catholic Bibles and 163,400 copies of Pray in the Spirit: Catholic Prayers for Inmates.
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