Office of Restorative Justice
Our Vision
Office of Restorative Justice/Detention Ministry is recognized as a catalyst that sparks the radical transformation of society's treatment of the incarcerated from retribution and punishment to restoration and reconciliation. Through moral leadership and pastoral care, we respond to the Gospel mission, seeking the full participation of every priest, parish, diocesan office and agency, chaplain and volunteer to bring expertise toward the development and delivery of effective pastoral care programs and support services. We supplant the retributive model of justice with a restorative one, which seeks to reconcile and restore persons, faith communities and society at large.
Our Mission
The Office of Restorative Justice and its staff provide pastoral care for the incarcerated, their families and victims while seeking to affect changes in public policy regarding incarceration. We employ education and outreach as we advocate for a transformation in our current criminal justice system and those human beings impacted by it. We seek to energize the Church to respond to Jesus' invitation to "walk with the prisoner".
Recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of all people, Catholic Correctional Chaplains perceive prison ministry to be our Gospel call to be present and serve those affected by the criminal justice system, whether inmate, victim, their families, correctional employees and the larger Catholic community.
The responsibility for ministry to those who are incarcerated comes from Christ's admonition to each of us "whatever you do to the least…you've done to me" (Matthew 25). As with other social and pastoral ministries, this responsibility rests with the total people of God. We must respond to God's call to service by being involved in a communal way. The Catholic Faith Community must be present in prisons, jails in meaningful ways. The Catholic Chaplain takes the initiative and facilitates the full participation of volunteers in the pastoral care of prisoners.
Catholic Prison Ministry recognizes both the level of personal responsibility and the impact of social structure. We support the concept of ministry, which integrates the components of direct service, public education, and advocacy for systemic change.
