• There are eight federal Institutions in the Kingston area

• Chaplains work in all of these institutions and rely on volunteers

• The course was the initiative of Sister Peggy Malcolm (Sister of Charity) who is a retired chaplain and who saw the need for volunteers to be properly trained for this ministry

• This course is delivered over a 6-week period (typically one session a week). It has been growing and enjoying success these past 18 years

• The course covers topics relevant for people planning on volunteering in  prison ministry including: 

• “The call to ministry“, communication’s skills and boundaries, profile of a prisoner, restorative justice, security issues, ministry to families, reintegration, self care and meeting people in a prison environment 

•  Experts on various subject matters are invited to speak on the major themes 

• The volunteers come from various faith and religious backgrounds 

• Advertising for the course is done in the bulletins, by chaplains, by word of mouth and, after all these years, by reputation

• Committee organizes the Prison Ministry Course and provides support and facilitation of the six week programme

• Understanding the need for volunteers in various institutions 

• Understanding the needs of your volunteers 

• At the end of the course evaluations and input on the course are essential to understanding what worked and how to improve

• Communication with other agencies and community groups are essential for collaborative ministry

• Providing time for dialogue, sharing and networking.

• Providing time to gather with volunteers and potential volunteers during the year for community building ,learning opportunities and support

• Provincial and Federal Institutions
• Families of those incarcerated
• Children of those incarcerated that attend schools in your area
• Halfway Houses
• Community Chaplains
• Find ways to make connections in your community to provide welcoming Faith Communities for reintegration support

Practical Applications for Other Ministries

• Understand the rule set of the environment in which you are operating
• (ex. Prison, Hospital)
• Building Relationships  and Trust with other Community Partners
• Sense of community for volunteers (in this case Prison Ministry Volunteers)
• Working with and leveraging the strengths of other faith communities