What We Do

Members of the prison ministry visit with inmates on a regular basis and meet them where they are on their spiritual journey. Volunteers offer the incarcerated the opportunity to attend Mass, receive the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Eucharist, study the scriptures, know their faith better, go on retreat, learn how to pray, meditate and more. Through this ministry, the person who is incarcerated is able to keep their faith alive, grow in the spirit, and have personal contact with the Church.

Deacon James Witulski talks about the importance of prison ministry and how these volunteers influence the lives of people who are incarcerated – talking with them about what they are going through, giving them an opportunity to worship and receive the sacraments, and helping them grow in their relationship with God.

Our Mission

To enrich the faith of people incarcerated in the prisons, jails and detention centers located in western North Carolina. We are a ministry of accompaniment, restoration and hope through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. Our ministry supports parish-based volunteers to excel at their calling to be missionaries in prison. While we are Catholic, we respect and minister to all who are incarcerated – of any faith or no faith. As by exemplified by St. Charles de Foucauld, “Our Charity will draw souls to Christ and His Church.”

Residents Encountering Christ

The diocese also implements special programs for those who are incarcerated, called Residents Encountering Christ (REC). It is the mission of Residents Encountering Christ to serve the Lord within our diocese by encouraging the inmate prison population to become more active Christians during and after their incarceration. Our service to the Lord is done primarily through an intense three-day program and timely follow-up meetings. The major theme for the experience is: to know, love, and serve the Lord, to die to self, rise again in the Lord, and go forth together (The Paschal Mystery).