For Catholics behind prison walls, incarceration does not mean separation from the Church. Catholic prison ministers and bishops say those in jail and prison remain members of the Catholic community, and they are in particular need of the sacraments, companionship, and God’s mercy.
Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday was observed July 26, highlighting the Church’s call to remember those who are incarcerated.
William Hall, coordinator of Prison Ministry for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, and a member of the Buckingham Correctional Center ministry, said the work is rooted in Christ’s command in Matthew 25 to visit those in prison.
“We try to go in and provide sacraments, provide comfort to the men in prison,” Hall told Veronica Dudo in a July 29 interview with EWTN News Nightly.
‘Just as much a part of the parish’
Hall said Catholics behind bars should not be defined solely by their crimes or convictions.
“The guys in prison might just say, ‘Donʼt think of me for what I did but of who I am,’” he said.
Many incarcerated Catholics, Hall added, have discovered a deeper spiritual life through the Church’s presence in prison.
For Hall, ministry begins with a simple approach: “Listen,
