Imagine you made a poor choice that changed your life and landed you in prison. You are one among many of your fellow inmates who is remorseful, but also lonely, angry, fearful and discouraged. You have the choice to change your life from the inside, but how do you turn to God? Who is there to help you?

“Many people in prison are in despair by being forgotten by family, friends and society,” said Denny Marcotte, coordinator of prison ministry for Paulist Evangelization Ministries for the past five years. “They think, ‘If everyone else abandoned me, did God abandon me, too?’ Our ministry shows our loving God forgives over and over again.”

PEM’s prison ministry ministers directly to more than 1,000 prisoners and also supports some 540 Catholic chaplains in their work.

“Prisons are swarming with Muslim and Protestant literature, but very few places produce Catholic materials,” said Mr. Marcotte.

So far in 2013, more than 1,600 New American Bibles and almost 14,000 copies of the quarterly newsletter titled “Let’s Talk!” in English and “¡Hablemos!” in Spanish have been sent to prisioners across the United States. In all, more than 140 separate pieces of Catholic literature have been distributed to thousands of inmates, according to Mr. Marcotte.

“Invitation” gives recipients an overview of the Catholic faith in a question-and-answer format, which chaplains use as a study guide, Mr. Marcotte said, while the “Follow Me” pamphlet written by PEM President Father Frank DeSiano, CSP, speaks about conversion and commitment to Christ. PEM has also distributed more than 2,000 of the Prayer for Justice and Mercy prayer card.

PEM’s prison ministry has been helping prison inmates find the path to God since 1994. It began with Father Thomas Comber, CSP, answering a few letters he got from prisoners while ministering at PEM in the early 1990s. Father McComber died in 1995, after directing the prison ministry for five years.

Father McComber’s legacy in prison ministry lives on almost 20 years later, and the fruits of the labor are plain to see.

“Prisoners have written and said, ‘I never realized how good God is, how much he can play a part in my life and help me stay on the straight and narrow,” Mr. Marcotte said, noting that in Chicago, a bishop welcomed nine men to the Catholic faith through the prison Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults program.

“We have places where there is no Catholic chaplain, it is nice to hear some places are welcoming people into the Church,” he said.

Jesus, united with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
give us your compassion for those in prison.
Mend in mercy the broken in mind and memory.
Soften the hard of heart, the captives of anger.
Free the innocent; parole the trustworthy.
Awaken the repentance that restores hope.
May prisoners’ families persevere in their love.
Jesus, heal the victims of crime. They live with the scars.
Lift to eternal peace those who die.
Grant victims’ families the forgiveness that heals.
Give wisdom to lawmakers and to those who judge.
Instill prudence and patience in those who guard.
Make those in prison ministry bearers of your light,
for all of us are in need of your mercy!
Amen.

© Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association