-
-
Fall 2023 Retreat Opportunity
Christ the Redeemer has adopted the Navasota Pack Unit and the Huntsville Ellis unit. This means in addition to providing weekly support to the Catholic communities inside of the prisons, we also host an annual retreat in each prison.
We need 20-30 male volunteers from the parish to host each retreat. Please consider volunteering for the next retreat because it will change both the inmates’ lives and yours. Following are the details about the next retreat:- Training Dates: All at CtR - 07/01/2023, 07/15/2023, & 07/29/2023 (9 - 11 a.m.)
- Retreat Date and Time: August 3-5, 2023 (6am – 5 pm)
- Place: Wallace Pack Unit Navasota (45 min drive from CTR)
- Director: Roger Martinez , Co-Director: Jim Norris
- Number of retreatants: 66 with 14 stewards
- Cost: $125-150 per person (depending on the number of volunteers)
- Hotel: Hotel not necessary due to the proximity of church
- Requirements: You must be a male, 18 years or older, and a Christian. No experience prison volunteer experience required. We will train and prepare you.
If you are willing to accept this call to volunteer or have any questions, please email Jim Norris at prisonministry@ctrcc.com.
-
-
-
Get Involved with Prison MinistryIn response to Jesus’ call to visit and care for those in prison (Matthew 25:36), you are invited to help in any of the following ways:
- Pray for our incarcerated brothers & sisters
- Kolbe Prison Retreats
- Followup visits
- Donate (see below)
If you’re interested in getting involved, please send an email to prisonministry@ctrcc.com and sign up for email updates below. -
Get Updates on the Prison Ministry!
-
-
-
About the Prison MinistryIn Matthew 25:36, Jesus called for us to visit and to care for those in prison. The CtR Prison Ministry is inspired by Christ’s exclamation to serve our incarcerated brothers. We obey Him by ministering to and helping meet the spiritual needs of our Catholic brothers in prison, by sharing the agape love of Jesus Christ with all men in prison regardless of their faith, and by promoting unity and understanding within the entire body of Christ in prison.
We are there as peacemakers and servants and our goal is that by our service these men will believe that they are worthy of the love of God and that they can share and live that love in prison and in their communities and neighborhoods when they get out.
We fulfill this mission by hosting Kolbe retreats and weekly follow-up ministries between retreats at two prisons that we have adopted: the Ellis Unit in Huntsville and the Pack Unit in Navasota. While the Kolbe retreat allows only male volunteers, both men and women can volunteer for the follow-up ministries that include communion services, Bible studies, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and theology classes.
For more information on how to volunteer for a retreat and for information on follow up ministries, send an email to prisonministry@ctrcc.com.
Prison Ministry Leadership Team
Ministry Liaison to CtR - Deacon Kerry Bourque
Ministry Director - Jim Norris
Communications Coordinator - Anthony Brown
Ellis Unit Coordinator - Mike Romano
Ellis Unit Spiritual Director - Deacon Bill Bradley
Pack Unit Coordinator - Jim Norris
Cook Team Coordinator - Elle Norris
-
BackForwardPauseCaption -
Kolbe Prison Ministries
This ministry is named for St. Maximilian Kolbe. Fr. Kolbe was arrested in the early days of World War 2 and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp for the crimes of sheltering refugees, including 2,000 Jews and for issuing anti-Nazi publications. He continued his service as a priest and ultimately volunteered to die in the place of a total stranger. This man, Franciszek Gajowniczek, was present in St. Peter’s Square in 1982 when Fr. Kolbe was canonized by St. John Paul II.
For more information about this ministry, visit www.kolbeprisonministries.com.
-
-
-
Donations
If you're interested in helping the Prison Ministry to answer Jesus' call to visit those in prison (Matthew 25:36) but are unable to offer your time or talent, please consider offering your treasure. Your financial gift will be used in the following ways at the Ellis & Pack Units:
- Groceries for our 2 annual Kolbe retreats
- Annual Christmas gifts (e.g soap and toothpaste)
- Bible study & RCIA materials
If you would like to make a donation to help CtR Prison Ministry answer Jesus' call to visit those in prison, please click the button below and write "For Prison Ministry" in the note.
-
