PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • Pepito was preparing in prison to make his First Communion. A few days before he was to receive it, he told me that he had a hearing at the court. He left full of hope of getting out and going home, but unfortunately he was told that he was not going to be released…. — ─ First I was sad, pa’i! But right away I realized that I was not ready to leave, because I needed Jesus in my heart before going back to my
Read More 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 family
Read More PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • Christmas is a difficult time for the young people deprived of their freedom in the juvenile prison near Tupãrenda, burdened with guilt, loneliness and longing… As every year, with the prison ministry “Visitation of Mary” we are preparing to offer them a good Christmas dinner, with gifts, songs and prayers: baby Jesus wants to be born in their hearts too! — Yesterday at the Sunday Mass in Tupãrenda I asked for help to finance this dinner and the gifts. I was very excited when after
Read More PARAGUAY, Alexandra Garcete de Sánchez • The First Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean was held from November 21 to 28, 2021 in Mexico City, at the feet of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Latin America. It is a meeting that brings together the entire Latin American continent. On the 4th day, November 25, 2021, Alexandra Garcete, from the Family Federation of Paraguay, spoke about the Prison Ministry and the Mother of Tupãrenda House Program explaining the commitment with the most needy and marginalized. The readers of
Read More 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 scholarships
Read More 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 to
Read 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 Son
Read 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 cohesion
Read More SCHOENSTATT SOCIAL, Maria Fischer • “The visit to the Vatican continues to circulate”, writes Father Pedro Kühlcke. The visit to the Vatican: through Pamela Fabiano from the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Development, Father Pedro Kühlcke was invited to the International Congress of Catholic prison chaplains at the Vatican. During the concluding audience with the Pope he was able to present him with the book “Libertad en la cárcel”, Freedom in Prison, in which he describes his experiences with Father Kentenich’s pedagogy of working in prisons. The texts of
Read More PARAGUAY, Cristy Santa Cruz • Another Saturday of prison ministry. Each Saturday is unlike another, but for me, this Saturday was particularly strange. We were told there were two jailbreaks during the week on different days. Everyone who visits each Saturday knows what that means: many missing faces, many transfers, and many changes. — It was impossible for us not to feel like we were left hanging— worried about who will not show up, who is there, who left. The care we give all the boys is immense; it doesn’t
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