Prisoners’ Sunday is celebrated on October 13. In England and Wales, the Jesuits made their special apostolate to prisoners on Sundays, providing them with spiritual practice and companionship.
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On Prisoners Sunday, October 13, Jesuits from the Province of England and Wales led a spiritual retreat for men and women in prison.
By creating a special Sunday for prisoners, the Jesuits spent time with men and women in prison, giving them time for prayer and discussion about God.
From the pandemic to the apostolate
A prison pastoral initiative that began supporting prison chaplains during the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly transformed into a spiritual retreat for inmates. Along with the prison chaplain, other Jesuit brothers have provided an opportunity for reflection and prayer to prisoners and prison staff.
The initiative has expanded within the Catholic Church as Jesuits work with Anglican and independent church traditions to obtain security clearance for prisons. The duration and form of each spiritual practice varies depending on prison security measures. For example, one could be a week-long guided prayer reflection, while the other could be an opportunity to gather in a group setting.
Spiritual practice and rehabilitation.
Local chaplains work with correctional officers to conduct spiritual practices, which are part of the rehabilitation process. John Green, associated with the Institute and Work of the Society of Jesus, said that sometimes these spiritual retreats are “oases of normality” for these prisoners, as they share their thoughts on relationships, family, faith and other topics. things that are normally “overlooked”. Spiritual practices also become essential tools for prisoners to cope with loneliness and challenges.
When a prisoner completes their sentence, they can participate in online spiritual practices that were specifically designed to help them during COVID. The prison ministry respects the dignity of each person in a simple way and provides many facilities for their spiritual practice, such as CDs that help them pray.
Pope Francis and the prisoner
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has repeatedly dedicated time and offered prayers for prisoners: emphasizing prisoners’ rights, he continued the tradition of washing prisoners’ feet on Holy Thursday, Holy Week. He has also called for more respect to be given to prisoners and their facilities to be improved.
During the 2016 Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope dedicated a Sunday to prisoners, in which he called on everyone to remember and pray in a special way for prisoners.
Green said a day dedicated to prisoners, like Prisoner Sunday, is important because it “brings people’s attention to this apostolate of the Church.” Because prisoners, their families and prison chaplains “are often out of sight and out of mind.”
