Prison ministry Category

Misa en la capilla de la cárcel de menores
PARAGUAY, Ismelda Vázquez • The Prison Pastoral “Visitation of Mary” continues to be full of enthusiasm and good vibes to continue betting on those who do not have so many opportunities, on those whom most people fear and even hate. They are beings who should be innocent, protected and guided by someone, either their family or the state, but no. They are not for that. None of them are there for that, they were raised in single rooms, among drugs, alcohol, violence, which their minds were normalizing. — Ooh, whatRead More
Equipos de Casa Madre de Tuparenda y de la pastoral carcelaria
PARAGUAY, HOUSE MOTHER OF TUPARENDA, Ani Souberlich • This Holy Week, as a team of House Mother of Tupãrenda, we made a visit to the Educational Center of Itauguá to invite the teenagers deprived of their freedom to participate in the program once they are released. — In this visit we told them everything they can learn in our house, to later have a job and thus achieve a better quality of life for them and their families. As always, they received us with joy and above all with aRead More
pastoral carcelaria
PARAGUAY, Cristi Santacruz • Today while going through Twitter I read the affirmation of a graduate specialist in addiction prevention and treatment: “The closer the family is, the farther away the drug is”. A statement that rang loud in the ears, but louder in the heart. — In 2016, when I started my apostolate of visiting every Saturday the Integral Educational Center of Itauguá and La Esperanza, for children and young people in conflict with the law, I heard hundreds of stories that have one factor in common: The familyRead More
Casa Madre de Tuparenda
PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • Everyone has suffered in the more than two years since the beginning of the pandemic, but especially the most disadvantaged throughout the world, including Paraguay. The “Casa Madre de Tupãrenda” (CMT) program could only be carried out digitally – by telephone and WhatsApp – and with the boys’ food, the house itself had to be closed. Visits to the youth prison, no way. But the time of Easter will come… — In the meantime, here in Paraguay the pandemic has happily subsided, so we canRead More
cárcel
PARAGUAY, Roberto M. González • Almost 15 days away from the beginning of this new year, I can take the time to analyze an idea that I have had in my head since December 31 of last year. — On December 31 I was able to go again to the juvenile prison of Itauguá to share with them a New Year’s Eve dinner. This time was a little more familiar to me, because I met the director of the prison and one of the prison officials, whom I had alreadyRead More
Casa Madre de Tuparenda
Fr. Pedro Kühlcke, Paraguay • A few days ago I received a letter in Italian, supposedly from some Trappist nuns in the United States, offering me financial help for social projects at the service of the poorest, and wanting to know what we do in this field. — I answered them in English, since I don’t know enough Italian, and told them about our prison ministry “Visitation of Mary”, and our post-prison program “House Mother of Tupãrenda”. I also wrote that we need support specifically to pay for the scholarshipsRead More
PARAGUAY, Roberto M. González and Maria Fischer • The riot in the Tacumbú prison, the largest in Paraguay, ended with seven deaths from stab wounds, some with their throats slit, only two of them were convicted prisoners. This is not just another piece of news. I am thinking that our boys, those boys I met in the juvenile prison, those boys who offered me the first tereré (local drink) of my life, who told me about their dreams for a family, for a dignified life, when they turn 18 mayRead More
Peregrina cárcel
SPAIN, Portal of the Diocese of Cadiz and Ceuta • Since the beginning of the pandemic, a Schoenstatt Pilgrim Mother, “Mother Thrice Admirable,” known as the “Mater,” has been living under the same roof as more than 1,200 prisoners in the Detention Center of Botafuegos, Algeciras. — The Pilgrim Mother accompanies all the religious celebrations and catechesis that take place in the prison chapel. During this time, Our Lady has accompanied the liturgies in many departments, and a large number of prisoners have even received her in their cells toRead More
PARAGUAY, Cristi Santa Cruz • I met Juanito when he first arrived at La Esperanza Educational Center (Youth Prison). He had just turned 15 and in between conversations he told me that he was not baptized. Talking a little more with him, I convinced him to begin the catechism classes for his baptism.  — With a very basic schooling, we started the catechesis, putting all the intelligence and the few pedagogical tools acquired, more by experience and intuition than by instruction, and we were learning who is God, his SonRead More
ARGENTINA, Juan Barbosa • An extra prayer of “the 6:30 p.m. rosary” that the Madrugadores have been meditating daily since March 31st, was prayed by the Bishop Gabriel Mestre of Mar del Plata, with inmates of the Batán Penitentiary Unit of that city. Sister Helena, who is in charge of the prison ministry, was the link and after a dedicated work of following up and organizing, more than 25 Madrugadores joined in this moment of prayer that, according to them, was glorious!— Searching for destinations, finding realities The fantastic cohesionRead More