By Sr Lini Sheeja MSC –
I am a horrible sinner. Can it be true that Jesus loves me? asked Rajasekhar (name changed) to a Prison Ministry India (PMI) volunteer. Rajasekhar hails from a traditional Hindu family in Tamil Nadu. He was the eldest of 11 siblings whom the parents found hard to feed, on the meagre income from the small tea-stall that they ran. Though the eldest, Rajasekhar was not keen on shouldering any responsibility. Aggressive and disobedient by nature he did not relish helping out his parents in the tea-stall. In his very childhood he left home and travelled to Mumbai, the glittering city of dreams, in search of brighter prospects. Looking for a place to stay, he finally bumped into a group of urchins who were kind enough to share food and accommodation with him. He enjoyed the company of these hooligans and with them was drawn into all sorts of vices – smoking beedis, cigarettes and hashish, drinking, gambling, robbing, looting, fighting, visiting brothels…etc.
Can prisons be places of redemption? “I was the sinner of sinners, the worst!” Rajasekhar recollects. The last straw came when in October 1985 he, with his so-called friends, got involved in a heinous murder. He was chased, caught by the Matunga police and thrown in the Thane jail. After being tried in court he was pronounced guilty and convicted as an accomplice to murder. The sentence was a 21 year long rigorous imprisonment. After the verdict had been passed, he was shifted to Central Jail, Nashik. There was this group of Catholics – Prison Ministry India Volunteers – comprising Sr Sabeena Pinto, Sr Julie, Sr Nirmala, Walter Kamble, Raju Salve, Ignatius Salve and others whom Rajasekhar met. His life started to change.
One day Rajasekhar received his personal Bible and in excitement he opened it at random. His eyes fell on Psalm 119:114 which read, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your Word.” He felt elated, to say the least! It was as though God had put the words in his mouth. He silently responded with, “Yes Lord, you are my hiding place!” He hugged the Bible to his chest and thanked God profusely. After that day he felt an almost ravenous hunger for the Word of God. He was drawn to read the Bible nonstop. In his eagerness he finished reading the entire Book in just 24 days! Rajasekhar experienced the closeness of our Redeemer. He was redeemed in the dark cells of prisons. “The Bible is a book of wonders that can transform even the hardest of criminals. Read it and you will be set free! And Jesus is one who loves every sinner! No one else in this world can love you the way Jesus does”, says the redeemed Rajasekhar. Oh, Yes! Prisons can be places of redemption.
God of the Lost – A God of PMI Volunteers!
We are human. We break; we make mistakes. But some are caught and thrown behind the bars. They go through the moments of loneliness and feel desperate. All those who passed by the tax booth of Mathew, the tax collector, looked down on him. But the look of our Redeemer was different on Mathew. One look and two words, ‘Follow me’ changed the entire life of Mathew. God of holies came down in our sinfulness! He came down when we were lost! God came in search of the lost beings to take away our burden, that bundle, that misery, that shame of sin away. Our brethren behind the bars are lost ones who are looked down by the society, but the one look of God transforms them and redeems them. In the eyes of God, we never lose our worth. Even when we commit a sin, we remain precious in His sight; for God is infinite love and He is the God whom PMI volunteers imitate.
What a Gun Cannot Do, a Nun Can!
It was in 2002 as an aspirant that I heard in a sermon on Prison Ministry Sunday, ‘a gun cannot change a prisoner, but the nun can’. After the Holy Eucharist when I reached my table, I wrote down the same words in my personal diary and my mission of praying for the prisoners started from then on. I would offer a decade of the rosary every day for the prisoners across the globe, which was the inner motivation given to me by our Redeemer to join the prison Ministry in 2018 with complete dedication and commitment. My call to PMI was the seed that was sown in my heart from Prison Ministry Sunday Eucharistic Celebration. That was the passion which made me to join Prison Ministry to stoop down and walk through the prison gates to meet our brethren, who look for a helping hand and listening heart as I served as the national secretary for Prison Ministry India and Chief-Editor for Prison Voice in bringing out to the world the cry of prisoners through my writings. In my journey with prisoners, I witnessed ‘What the guns of the police officers could not do in the lives of the prisoners we the passionate nuns, priests and lay people could do’
Prison Ministry Sunday
Prison Ministry Sunday which has been celebrated since 2004 is a unique call to the Churches in India, to every member of our Church to remind us of our mission to pray for them, to reach out to them and to help in whatever way we can. His Beatitude Moron Mar Cyril Baselios OIC (2000-2004) CBCI President and that of the Executive Committee responded to the needs of the time as they declared on 17 August 2003 Prison Ministry Sunday to be celebrated officially every year on the 2nd Sunday of August, taking into consideration the feast day of St Maximillian Kolbe which comes on 14 August. The life-style of PMI is begging and that’s why we the volunteers stand with buckets at Church doors and beg from all of you to give future and hope to our brethren who have lost hope in their lives. PMI does not have any foreign projects. Our bank is Bank of Divine Providence (BDP). In the last two years we are unable to reach out to public to create awareness on Prison Ministry Sunday due to the pandemic, but our good works for our brethren behind the bars never stops as long as God provides the generous hearts people like you to our ministry.
The Cry of Prisoners!
Prison Ministry India is a call of the God of the Lost to each volunteer to reach out to the lost, least and the lost. The moment one enters the prison cells, their future is shattered, and their life is destroyed as the society looks them down. Their children are looked down. PMI serves in 1,350 prisons and 4,78,600 prisoners in India. We have 20 rehabilitation centres for released male/female prisoners and their children. Many of our brethren behind the bars have no shelter to live after their release. We witness the cry of many families as they sell their property, houses and belongings to release their loved one. As the God of the Lost heard the cry of the Israelites, we heard the cry of our brethren and launched Housing Project for prisoners’ families. PMI is celebrating its Ruby Jubilee year and as commemoration we are constructing 40 houses giving 3 lakhs for each family which would provide them a life of dignity. PMI is educating 400 prisoners’ children and releases 400 prisoners paying their fine and compensation.
Reintegration and Redemption of Prisoners – Join Hands!
If you want to be a part of this noble work of God’s redeeming mission, you can reach out by volunteering in three ways. Firstly, the origin of Prison Ministry India is from the Blessed Sacrament. Those hours spent before the Blessed Sacrament were powerful moments for the growth of this ministry. Before each visit, members spend time in prayer. They recite the rosary, make intercessory prayers and fast. Basically, Prison Ministry India is a prayer group for the reintegration and redemption of our brethren in prison.
Secondly, you can visit prisons and PMI rehabilitation centres and homes for prisoners’ children. “My family has abandoned me; society considers me only as a criminal. If you do not help me, who else will in this world? When I am released, nobody will dare to give me a job. Would you please find a job for me?” These heart-breaking cries of prisoners moved the hearts of PMI volunteers and the result was the first rehabilitation centre, Snehashramam established in 1991. Today, Prison Ministry India runs 20 rehabilitation centres for released persons and their children.
Thirdly, you can financially support PMI for prisoners’ rehabilitation and reintegration. One of the basic principles of PMI is ‘begging’. We beg to give prisoners a better future. We beg to provide them a life of dignity. We beg to make them kings and queens. We do not have any foreign funding to meet expenses, but we actualise our plans and visions by meeting people personally. Here we become not mere distributors of easy money, but we become one with the helpless in their struggle. PMI volunteers stand at the church doors with a bucket in their hands, begging something from those who have to give to those who don’t have. I request the readers of this article to join hands with us in whatever way you can. God of the lost calls you individually to reach out to them personally.
Contact us on: Prison Ministry India 52 Thomas Layout Sarjapura Road, Carmelaram PO, Bengaluru – 560 035, Karnataka, India. Mob: +91 9447710488, Email: [email protected], www.prisonministryindia.org