Restorative Justice Week – November 13-20^th

In the month of November, the Social Justice Office is placing a special focus on Prison Ministry. Prison Fellowship prayer cards with daily prayer intentions for the Week of Restorative Justice, starting November 13-20^th  are distributed to all parishes. These intentions are designated for each day of the week starting November 13^th. Prayer Intentions are to be included in the prayers of the faithful during mass. 

During this week, we turn our thoughts to restorative justice which is founded on a vision of justice that heals and restores. It is based on an understanding that crime is a violation of people and relationships and that justice is served when those most directly involved in an offence are given opportunities to redress the harm caused. The values of restorative justice include forgiveness, reconciliation, caring and compassion, equality, healing, responsibility, truth and honesty, inclusion, trust, safety, respect, non-judgmentalism, self-awareness, integrity, flexibility, and empathy.

This year’s restorative justice theme is “Re-visioning Justice” and it calls upon all of us to envision how a restorative justice approach can be applied and implemented within existing systems. It is a challenge to the health care systems, educational systems, justice systems, correctional systems, and all other systems and/or levels of government, to be creative and innovative in looking at ‘justice’ through a restorative justice lens.

We ask that God help us to keep from throwing the first stone and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. The passage from 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 comes to mind: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

The prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi is also very appropriate when praying for reconciliation and peace:

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;

that where there is hatred, I may bring love;

that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;

that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;

that where there is error, I may bring truth;

that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;

that where there is despair, I may bring hope;

that where there are shadows, I may bring light;

that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;

to understand, than to be understood;

to love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Please include victims, prisoners and prison ministry in your daily prayer intentions throughout this week. Thank you!

 
Volunteers Needed

The prison ministry committee is looking for volunteers to introduce prison ministry to their parishes, a parish formation coordinator, bible study facilitator for Calgary Correctional Center on Wednesday nights, and a graphic designer for our poster, brochure, logos and website.  If you are interested email Deacon Gary Haney at volunteer@calgaryprisonministry.com