Detention Ministry Volunteers

Detention Ministers are God’s message of love and mercy to inmates.

By their mere presence, they affirm, as best as they can the prisoner as a human being loved by God. Ministers invite inmates to grow to a more positive self-awareness and acceptance of their potential. Through active listening, they strive to make the prisoners aware of their experience of God in their daily life and allow them to express it in their own way.

The main form of service is to be present to people, especially in times of crisis. We bear the values of dignity, hospitality and acceptance in an environment which is generally one of distrust, harshness and rigidity.

As a Catholics, we represent the Catholic Church, its teachings and values. It is essential that we live up to these standards by our words and actions whenever we minister to inmates. However, our services are not restricted to Catholics and we strive to be inclusive of all faith traditions. One way of achieving this is by introducing ourselves as Catholic-Christians, adding that everyone is welcome to our services.

Please use the form below to send us your general inquiries including if you are interested in volunteering.

The enrollment schedule and the training process for volunteers vary from one detention facility to another. Comprehensive training will be provided by the jail and the Catholic Detention Ministry. You must be 18 or older to volunteer. If interested, fill out the form below and a volunteer will be in contact with you.