Restorative Justice Ministry

The Restorative Justice Ministry helps the faithful of the Archdiocese of Atlanta answer the call spoken in Matthew's Gospel to visit those who are in prison. The ministry promotes an integral vision of Catholic Social Teaching to all by providing access to educational resources and by working to alleviate divisions through the use of restorative practices to facilitate dialogue amongst groups and to bridge divisions.

Through education and advocacy, the Restorative Justice Ministry works to foster healing, reconciliation, and community resilience, as well as address the systemic issues of criminal legal reform, death penalty abolition, and racial justice.

Restorative Justice Ministry supports prison and jail ministry in the archdiocese through training, resourcing, and logistical assistance. There are two hundred facilities within the archdiocese boundaries with approximately 95,000 incarcerated individuals and thirty-eight individuals, seven who are catholic, on death row. People who are incarcerated that seek to practice their faith can find it difficult to receive Catholic sacraments and spiritual resources.

A group of sisters and priest

Making an Impact

Over the past year and a half, the fruits of this ministry can be seen at the federal penitentiary. A consistent Mass schedule has been set, a weekly book study, and a group of the men are forming a choir to provide music for Masses. As a further testament to this healing work, Restorative Justice Ministry was recommended to Homeland Security to provide prison ministry in an immigration detention facility that had no prison ministry of any kind. God’s healing hand at work through others.

Experience the Ministry

How you can help

You can help people who are incarcerated receive Christ’s message by supporting clergy and lay ministers who take on the challenging work of providing Christ’s love to those who are marginalized. In addition to volunteers, the Restorative Justice Ministry needs Bibles and book study resources to provide these brothers and sisters in Christ an opportunity to learn and grow on their faith journey.

Without these faithful volunteers, parish prison ministry, would at best stagnate. Catholics who are incarcerated would be left with no access to the sacraments, or any religious instruction. Advocacy for more humane treatment of people who are incarcerated, and death penalty abolition efforts would be weakened.

Help equip those who help others who are marginalized and forgotten to provide the sacraments, Catholic instruction, and compassionate care to prisoners who seek Him for solace, forgiveness, and strength.

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Prison Ministry