Prison & Jail

Our response to crime in the United States is a moral test for our nation and a challenge for our Church.  Our tasks are to restore a sense of civility and responsibility to everyday life, and promote crime prevention and genuine rehabilitation. The common good is undermined by criminal behavior that threatens the lives and dignity of others and by policies that seem to give up on those who have broken the law.
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MAX  is the diocesan program to provide pastoral care, education, public policy advocacy and prayer support in service of the incarcerated and their families.  

​Logo:  The name, the silhouette of a cross and the Franciscan brown color of the logo for the MAX Prison & Jail Ministry is representative of St. Maximilian Kolbe, its patron saint. 
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Purpose
  • Provide recruitment, training and support for all prison and jail ministers and volunteers.
  • Work with clergy and volunteers to help resolve issues relative to prison and jail ministry.
  • Provide an advocacy forum for clergy and volunteers ministering in prisons and/or jails.
  • Network with organizations on the local and national level, including but not limited to REC and Kairos, Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Knights of Columbus, Journey to New Life, Catholic Charities of Kansas City, One Heart Project, Archdiocese of Kansas City Kansas, and the Family United Transportation Service.
  • Stand in solidarity with others involved in activities involving capital punishment. This may include executions and those events that are a part of the execution process.
  • Maintain database to aid in establishing a Catholic presence in jails and prisons. This database includes pertinent information that will be utilized to help clergy and volunteers in the prison and/or ministry.
  • Travel to parishes, deaneries, schools and other Catholic gatherings to provide training on church teachings relative to the prison ministry.
 
Laurie Jo Holmes
Program Coordinator
MAX Prison & Jail Ministry
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Office: 816-714-2364
Mobile: 816-820-0656
Email: holmes@diocesekcsj.org
Volunteer Opportunities​
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​MAX Prisoner Pen Pal Program​
Provide much-needed encouragement and friendship to an isolated prisoner. Participate in our program or establish your own parish pen-pal ministry using the guide provided by the Diocese. This simple guide lays out the basic steps, offers practical suggestions on how to get started, and provides other tips for fostering a safe, appropriate relationship based on encouragement and discipleship. Click here for a Pen Pal Volunteer Application.

MAX Prisoner's Rosary Program
Volunteers who assist the Human Rights Office with the processing, packing and mailing of rosary orders from offenders residing in Missouri Prisons.  Please click here for a printable copy of "The Prisoner's Rosary".

MAX VIP (Volunteer in Prayer) Ministry
VIPs lift up this ministry with powerful prayer support wherever they are. A volunteer from the Human Rights Office sends out a weekly email with the prayer requests sent to our office from the volunteers who represent the incarcerated members of our diocese. The VIPs may be individuals lifting prayer requests to the Lord on their own, or, are organized into groups by parish. All commit to praying intentionally for this ministry once per week.   Click here to sign up to be a VIP.  ​

REC (Residents Encounter Christ) Prison Ministry
Residents Encounter Christ is a non-profit organization which conducts 3-day retreats for men and women living in prison. The retreats are designed to give residents a chance to learn about Christ and how He can change lives. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring Christ into prison. Click here to contact us to learn more.
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VIC (Volunteer in Corrections)
VIC's in our Diocese visit the jails and prisons on a regular basis to provide the sacraments and a listening ear to our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Ministering to the incarcerated and their families can sometimes feel like visiting a foreign culture. Whether you are new to prison ministry, or you're a veteran looking for new perspectives, explore our resources to help you understand the complexities of incarceration - and how it intersects with justice, family relationships, employment and more. Contact us or click here to learn more about the steps to becoming a VIC with the Missouri Department of Corrections. 
​Click here to learn more about the Missouri Department of Corrections​
  • Volunteers serve as a vital link in the community in conjunction with the MO Reentry Process and Restorative Justice, which assists men and women returning to the community following incarceration. Their efforts contribute to public safety and have a positive impact on the lives of offenders. Please click here to learn the qualities of a good VIC.
  • VIC's also help institutional chaplains in religious programming, pastoral counseling, and provide spiritual guidance.
  • Family Court volunteers provide incredible value for youths by building up social skills, life skills, and setting a foundation of positive interaction. If interested in volunteering or mentoring with youth in the Juvenile system, click here to visit the Family Justice Center website.
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MAX Prison Pen Pal
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MAX Ministry Volunteer
Mission​
Prison Ministry in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph seeks to ensure a pastoral and sacramental presence at Missouri correctional facilities and to provide continued support to offenders re-entering society.The Human Rights Office invites you to respond to the Gospel call to “Love one another as I have loved you.” There are nearly 30 jails and prisons within our diocese. The juveniles, women and men incarcerated in these facilities have need of this ministry of presence.

The Human Rights Office oversees this volunteer-based prison ministry that responds to the spiritual needs of those who are incarcerated and their families. It assures that spiritual support is provided by trained volunteers on a regular basis in the prison system in Northeast Missouri. This includes developing and implementing strategies for training and supervising volunteers and promoting the U.S. Catholic bishops’ documents and strategies regarding prisons, detention centers and the death penalty.

Volunteers throughout the diocese minister to prisoners and provide them with free Catholic Bibles and prayer books in English and in Spanish. Over 60 of the volunteers are Certified Volunteers in Corrections (VIC). VICs offer one-on-one in-prison spiritual counseling, sacramental services, Bible study, devotions as well as evening prayers. We serve seven state prisons and many county jails throughout the diocese.
 
The links below will orient you to prison ministry in our diocese and provide formation as you seek guidance in answering your call to serve.
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Death Penalty
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Currently Proposed Legislation in Missouri
  • Criminal Justice Reinvestment - Senate Bill 966
  • Death Penalty Repeal - House Bills 1433, 1695, 2218 and  595;  Senate Bill 996
  • Death Penalty/Mental Illness Exemption - House Bill 2509; Senate Bill 1081
  • Death Penalty/Threat to Society - House Bill 1732
  • Early Parole/Older Inmates - House Bill 1359
  • Ex-Offender Employment - House Bill 2123; Senate Bill 900
  • Minimum Prison Sentences - House Bill 1596 and 1739; Senate Bill 748
  • Raise the Age/Juvenile Court Jurisdiction - House Bill 1255; Senate Bill 800
  • Shackling of Pregnant Offenders/Prohibition - House Bill 1627, 2026; Senate Bill 803 and 870
  • ​Wrongful Convictions/Compensation - House Bill 1813

MAX Prison Ministry Volunteer Training 2018

MAX Volunteer Leadership Team

MAX Hispanic Prison/Jail Ministry Orientation

Designed for both ordained and lay ministers at the diocesan and parish levels, MAX  Prison/Jail Ministry Orientation challenges us to prepare to receive newcomers with a genuine spirit of welcome that provides a bridge for them to cross to a culture "inside the walls".

Pastoral Care

Educational Topics

Resources & Referrals

"It is within a society's capacity to include the poor, inform and imprisoned, that we see its ability to heal their wounds and make them builders of a peaceful coexistence."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ~ Pope Francis, February 2016

Human Rights Office ~ Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph  ~ 20 West Ninth Street ~ Kansas City, MO 64105 ~ ​(816) 756-1850 (x 532) ~ holmes@diocesekcsj.org