Hope for the Incarcerated
More than 25,000 men and women are incarcerated in 24 jails, prisons, and detention facilities located in the two counties that comprise the Diocese of San Diego.
The majority of the incarcerated population in San Diego and Imperial counties identify as Catholic. The diocese provides pastoral care, offers Liturgy and Sacraments, Bible studies, and other religious programming to the incarcerated population. A cadre of trained prison and jail chaplains, as well as scores of volunteers, are a part of our dynamic prison and jail ministry program.
Ministry and care for the prisoner is one of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy and central to putting our Catholic faith in action. Our ministry is guided by Jesus’ own words:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the upright will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you? And the King will answer, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:35-40).
Prayer to Christ, The Prisoner
Lord, because You wanted to save the world, You decided for the following things to happen:
- YOU BECAME A MAN
- You were born a human
- You were rejected by your neighbors
- You were betrayed by a close friend, a traitor
- You were cuffed and shackled, and led stumbling to court
- You were forced to stand in front of judges with no attorney to help you
- You were accused by lying, paid witnesses
- You were tortured with beatings, insults, and whippings
- You had men spit in your face
- You had sharp thorns shoved into your scalp
- You were punched in the face, and sticks beat your body and head
- You were not allowed medical treatment
- You were blindfolded, had all of your clothes stripped off your body, and forced to carry the cross, the thing you were to be killed with, almost half a mile
- You were nailed, through your hands and feet, to a heavy piece of wood
- You hung on the cross, between two criminals, in front of the whole city, and your family, and your friends,
- You were offered bitter wine to drink, had a spear shoved into your side and left to die, with no appeal.
LORD, you willingly allowed these things to happen, to save the world and to save me. When I think of these things that happened to you, your sufferings, I ask that you bring me to the same paradise that you brought the penitent thief who was killed with you. All he asked of you was to be forgiven. This I ask also you!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.