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The Archdiocesan Office of Detention Ministry is a specialized ministry providing pastoral care to those women, men and juveniles who are inmates in 34 correctional facilities within the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe.

The lives of women, men, and juveniles waiting or serving sentences reflect all the unmet social needs of a culture. In 2003, Sister Susan Jabro told the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care: “Globally, the prison industrial complex is used as the solution to social problems at enormous human and financial cost. No matter the name of the country, behind prison walls live the walking wounded; the mentally and physically ill; the illiterate and undereducated; the undocumented, addicted, homeless and poor. The suffering found in prisons is a reflection of the suffering in a society.”

Ministering to the walking wounded behind prison walls is a patient process of many visits through which we can see people’s lives change in terms of thoughts, behaviors, and styles of relating with Christ and others. We can listen to them emptying their large reservoirs of guilt, anger, stress, frustration and other negative feelings until they can see more clearly and experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We can advocate for them through a new approach of restorative justice, which emphasizes repairing the harm caused by the crime. In this model, victims, offenders, their families and community members meet to decide how to do that, and the results can be a healthy process of forgiveness in order to help offenders return to the community.

The echo of the verse in Matthew's Gospel — “I was in prison and you visited me” — is a strong appeal to reach out to the 2.3 million brothers and sisters who are imprisoned in our country. Christ is in search of every human being, whatever the situation. Christ is a patient travelling companion, who respects the seasons and rhythms of the human heart. Sometimes this involves a long journey, but always a stimulating one, for it is a journey not made alone, but in the company of Christ himself and with his support. The Good Shepherd is always going in search of the lost sheep, just as in ever new ways the mercy of God creates fresh opportunities for growing in goodness, for striving to find new paths of redemption in every personal and social situation.

I invite you to visit our Web site www.detentionministry.com and learn about this specialized ministry of the Church whose lifeblood is over 200 volunteers. We are in a continuous process of pastoral reflection to bring consistent and timely catechetical and sacramental care to those housed in our overcrowded jails and prisons. Our overwhelmed and broken criminal justice system must strive for justice and mercy, responsibility and rehabilitation, restoration and wholeness, recognizing that the dignity of the human person applies to both victim and offender. Obviously, this includes making a great effort in the area of crime prevention and helping to build a better society.

Comments from readers

JUANA CASTILLO - 04/21/2010 12:40 PM
Me parece un art�culo excelente desde el punto de vista en que enfoca la pregunta de por qu� existe la pastoral penitenciaria. Queda bien claro que todos esos hombres, mujeres y menores detras de las rejas, reflejan las debilidades de nuestra sociedad pero sobre todo la falta de Dios en tantos corazones que han sido arropagos por el pecado.
Me parece excelente el trabajo que realiza este Ministerio, pues llega a aquellos que est�n cansados y agobiados, a los preferidos de Jes�s. Que la Virgen siga bendiciendoles y seguimos apoyando su ministerio mediante la Revista Rayo de Luz.

Saludos,

Juana Castillo

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