CATHOLICS MINISTERING IN PRISONS!

Dallas Kolbe Prison Ministries (DKPM) is a regional branch of the Nation-wide Kolbe Prison Ministries (KPM) Catholic organization (sometimes referred to as ‘Kolbe Missions’) founded several years ago in Fredericksburg, Texas. DKPM ministers to incarcerated men and women several Texas State prisons and jails near Dallas-Fort Worth, and other detention facilities in the Diocese of Dallas. DKPM also assists with prison activities in the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Why minister to prisoners? There are many examples in the Bible of God’s way of dealing with sinners… of His mercy and forgiveness, of repentance and renewal, of reconciliation and resurrection. We have all made bad choices, fallen short, messed up, and lost our way. Some to a greater degree than others. Those who committed serious sins (crimes) and got caught ended up behind bars. These people are still children of God and remain rich in His love for them. These are the least of our brothers, and what we do for them, we do for Jesus. We know in our hearts that we are not the judge. We’ve read in John’s gospel that Jesus forgave the criminal who was being crucified right next to Him.

So, what are we called to do? Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that we are to perform corporal works of mercy; one described as “I was in prison, and you visited me.” Of all the various works of mercy that Jesus could have pointed out, He stated that visiting prisoners is especially important in God’s eyes. And so KPM takes Jesus at His word and lives out this particular call. Simply because they are incarcerated doesn’t mean that inmates should be deprived of caring fellowship and the Catholic sacraments. They should be able to receive the Eucharist, be given the opportunity to be forgiven of their sins through Reconciliation, and be able to learn about our faith through Bible study and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (“RCIA”).

We’ve found that offenders have a much greater chance of staying out of prison and making lasting changes in their lives if we help them to develop a strong faith and offer hope for a better way of living through the truth of the Catholic Church.

We encourage you to learn more about Kolbe Prison Ministries in Dallas by viewing the various pages of our website and prayerfully considering your own call to serve our incarcerated brothers or sisters in prison (or otherwise support our efforts in doing so). KPM is a Catholic 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Dallas Kolbe Prison Ministries is a non-parish based organization registered and in good standing within the Diocese of Dallas.

DKPM volunteers make several visits each week to the incarceration facilities in the Diocese of Dallas. We need your prayers, we need your personal support, and we need your financial contributions as well.