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.
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.