Catholic Prison Ministry

We are a team of five priests and four women religious: American Franciscan Father Daniele Mose Shroder, Spanish diocesan Father Angel Tabarès, Spanish Passionist Father Roberto Martines, Italian Dominican Riccardo Lufrani and Spanish Capuchin Jordi Cervera i Valls, American Daughter of Charity Sister Susan Shehan, Maltese Sister of Saint Joseph Paola Busietta, Peruvian Comboni Sister Milagros Plaza and Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sister Emmanuela Micallef. We work in coordination with the Pastoral for Migrants and under the jurisdiction of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

We visit prisoners in different places. At present, we have thirteen South American men in Beer Sheva, thirteen South American women in the Neve Tirza prison in Ramleh, ten men in Ayalon Prison in Ramleh, speaking different languages and one in Nitzan Prison in Ramleh. We visit the prisons every week that is, each prison group has a visit once a month.

Our goal is to bring moral and spiritual support to these men and women, who have no family or friends in Israel. We are allowed a two hour visit. We first allow the prisoners to socialize as they come from various sections of the prison and this is the only time they can meet. The bulk of the visit is dedicated to reading and sharing the Word of God. The inmates usually all participate in the sharing and it is a very rich moment for all of us! They often have lots of questions to ask too.

Twice a year - for Christmas and Easter - we are permitted to celebrate the Eucharist with larger groups and it is always a very moving experience.

We are also there to help the inmates with anything they require like sending money to their families abroad, providing them with what they need – like clothes etc. and receiving or sending mail from and to their families.

(We publish this article on the eve of a mass for Christmas in Ramleh prison. Please pray for the prisoners).