By Verghese V Joseph –
Bengaluru: Prison Ministry India (PMI), a national voluntary organisation, working for the welfare of prisoners all over India under the guidance of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), celebrated its 25 years of selfless and inspirational service to prisoners, in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The Auxiliary Bishop of Mumbai and Chairman of PMI, Most Rev Dr Alwyn D’Silva, along with other bishops, priests, religious, and lay volunteers offered a thanksgiving prayer service at St. Joseph’s Indian High School, Vittal Mallya Road, Bengaluru.
Marking yet another inspirational milestone, Dr Allwyn D’Silva blessed the newly-constructed PMI Jubilee Memorial Building which will be used as research, documentation and volunteer’s training center at Carmelaram, Bengaluru on Wednesday.
As of today, PMI has around 850 units all over India, with around 7000 volunteers. It has established 28 rehabilitation centres across India for released men, women, youth and children. The national office is at Bangalore, and there are four regional offices. The Mumbai Unit of PMI was started in 2001. All the activities are conducted with the help of well-wishers and benefactors.
The volunteers visit the prisons and detention centres. They organize medical camps, awareness programmes, skill enhancement workshops, etc., for prison inmates. They also help rehabilitate those who have been released, as well as reconcile them with their families.
PMI extends various types of services to prisoners such as material, legal, cultural, recreational, psychological, psycho spiritual, social, clinical, medical and spiritual. All these lead them to be redeemed. The criterion to judge the ministry is to count the reformed, rehabilitated and redeemed prisoners. The PMI has reformed and rehabilitated more than 5000 released prisoners all over India. This is done mainly through its various types of rehabilitation centres and dedicated volunteers.
The Humble Beginnings of PMI
The story of this journey dates back to 8th December 1981, when Varghese Karippery and Francis Kodiyan, (Philosophy students in St Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Kottayam – Kerala), were entrusted with the weekly job of attending the phone calls. While they had been on duty, they encountered a special intervention of God, who bestows them with a special gift to work for the least, the last and the lost; followed by a powerful message from the crucifix that invites every person to heal the broken hearts.
Subsequently, they formed a group and began to raise their hearts to God through the intercessory prayers, for the least, the last and lost. Every afternoon, they used to sit before the Blessed Sacrament and pray for the different groups of dejected and despondent people such as alcoholics, prisoners, sick, drug-addicts, slum dwellers, and others.
On 1st of July 1985, when they were given an opportunity for field-experience, Bro. Francis pinpointed an apt title for the presuming board named ‘Prison Fellowship India’. Consequently they entered the office of Prison Fellowship and Mr. John Kurian explained about the Prison ministry.
They came back to the seminary and shared Prison Ministry experiences. After their inspirational sharing, Bro. Jose Kochuparambil suggested to immediately animate a jail ministry program during summer holidays. For the same prison pilgrimage, they formed a group of eight brothers and three Fathers. With the inception of chain prayer and fasting for six months began on September 1985, the ministry started to leave a legacy of abrupt change in the lives of several convicted and under trials.
Each one took up responsibly for four jails among the thirty-nine jails of Kerala for special prayer. March 1st, 1986, has left an indelible mark in the history of the Prison Ministry India with inception of a prison pilgrimage to the Kerala prisons accompanied by a small-orchestrated program, which conveyed the powerful message of Jesus. This same pilgrimage encouraged the prisoners to develop a new vision and mission in their life. Many of them had reportedly experienced great peace and joy. They could clearly understand the great need and the relevance of this ministry in today’s world.
In 1994 being appointed by the Jesus Fraternity in Kerala, Fr Varghese Karippery came to Bangalore to launch the national level prison ministry. He convened the first national convention on 13-15 August, 1994 at Christian Workers’ Center, Bangalore chaired by the Most Rev Alphonse Mathais, the then Archbishop of Bangalore. During this convention Fr Varghese Karipery was elected as the first national coordinator, took the name Prison Ministry India and decided to work under the patronage of Most Rev Arokyasamy, the then Archbishop of Madurai and JPD Chairman of CBCI.
In collaboration with Holy Cross Congregation, he launched the PMI Office in a cowshed in Huskur near Sarjapura in Bengaluru on January 1, 1995.
Today, PMI saves countless lives of prisoners who otherwise would have been left to fend for themselves. If you look at the sheer numbers and the state of our prisons, they are indeed staggering:
Prisons in India are overcrowded with a 114 per cent occupancy rate. 17 out of 36 state and union territories have prison occupancy of 100 per cent.
Overcrowding in prisons is due to the fact that nearly 68 per cent of under-trials (as of December 2016) are awaiting for investigation, inquiry or trial. With 180 per cent occupancy, Delhi prisons are most occupied.
Over 95,366 inmates are being handled by one sanctioned correctional staff in Uttar Pradesh.
19 out of 35 states and union territories spent on an average Rs 2,500 per month per inmate on food, clothing, medical, vocation and welfare activities.
India ranked 15th out of 217 countries in under-trial incarceration.
There are only 621 correctional staff across India’s 1421 prisons.
Despite this humongous challenge, PMI works tirelessly to rehabilitate lives of several convicted and under trials, and thereby helping them to integrate into the society in a dignified manner.
In his jubilee message, Rev Dr Francis Kodiyan MCBS, National coordinator and secretary to CBCI for Prison Ministry India said, “The occasion of a jubilee is the perfect time to count the blessings from the Lord and to thank and praise Him. But the most important blessing, which Jesus our Lord likes and considers very precious is the reformed and redeemed prisoners. It is also a significant blessing that we continue to assist and keep them in the state of reformation.”
“The son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19: 10).
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5: 32).
Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house and redeemed him saying, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Lk 19: 9).
Jesus redeemed the good thief on the cross while he was at the culmination of his agony.
“Today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk23: 33-43). Same is the task entrusted to PMI volunteers, that is, leading prisoners and the lost to paradise by helping them to repent, reconcile, reform, rehabilitate and redeem.
Remembering our Lord’s final judgement depends on the following criterion, “I was in prison, you visited me” (Mt 25: 36). The Silver Jubilee underlined that the ultimate goal of PMI is prisoners’ salvation!
To continue its mission, ICM needs your support.
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Beautiful article God Bless You Joseph Varghese