PJM Newsletter
 January/February 2022
Dear Volunteers and Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I pray you had a healthy, peaceful and Christ-filled Christmas with those you love. As we continue to be drawn by our faith to seek the Son of God and do him homage in this New Year, let us make Christ manifest to others wherever we go.
Christmas Drive
The Prison and Jail Ministry’s annual Christmas drive was extremely successful once again. We are grateful for the unwavering generosity each year from our parishes and volunteers who help collect and donate items for our incarcerated brothers and sisters. This year, we collected thousands of travel size toiletries. In addition to those items, we received numerous monetary donations which helped purchase religious books, candy canes, rosaries, bookmarks and pencils. The donations of socks and reading glasses were so abundant last year that we did not need to collect those for this year's drive.
During the third week of Advent, students from Harmel Academy of the Trades helped sort thousands of toiletries while learning more about the work we do to serve the incarcerated. We are very grateful for the students' help in bringing Christ to the incarcerated during this Advent season.
 
Throughout the third and fourth week of Advent we delivered 120 gift bags to three juvenile detention centers and 168 gift bags to those attending our Catholic services in prison. In addition, the county jails received over 2,500 pairs of socks and Rice Krispies Treats. 
We are grateful for you and the following parishes and organizations who participated in this drive:

  • Basilica of Saint Adalbert, Grand Rapids
  • Blessed Sacrament, Grand Rapids
  • Holy Family, Caledonia
  • Holy Family, Sparta
  • Holy Name of Jesus, Wyoming
  • Holy Spirit, Grand Rapids
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary, Grand Rapids
  • Our Lady of Assumption, Rothbury
  • Our Lady of Consolation, Rockford
  • Our Lady of the Lake, Holland
  • St. Anthony of Padua, Grand Rapids
  • St. Francis Xavier, Conklin
  • St. Isidore, Grand Rapids
  • St. Jude, Grand Rapids
  • St. Mary, Grand Rapids
  • St. Mary Magdalen, Kentwood
  • St. Paul the Apostle, Grand Rapids
  • St. Patrick, Parnell
  • St. Robert of Newminster, Ada
  • St. Sebastian, Byron Center
  • St. Stephen, E. Grand Rapids
  • St. Thomas the Apostle, Grand Rapids
  • Monica Braafhart and Kelloggs Morning Foods

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner with James Wahlberg
You may now register here for our 4th annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Monday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required to attend. I am excited to share that our guest speaker will be Jim Wahlberg! Jim is the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and has been working in and around the field of addiction recovery for nearly 30 years. Jim will share with us his journey through addiction, incarceration and recovery which led him to the foot of the cross. Jim will also visit the men incarcerated at Richard A. Handlon prison during his time in Michigan. Registration will close on Monday, Jan. 24.

Volunteer-led Catholic Services Resume in a Few Facilities
Although the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has allowed volunteers to return to prison for religious services, the decision to resume volunteer-led services is at the discretion of each warden. At this time Bellamy Creek and Ionia Correctional are the only two out of the eight prisons in our diocese allowing volunteers to resume religious services. Kent County Jail will also resume volunteer services in January. Please see the team sections below for more information.

Although we have not been permitted to resume services in most of our facilities, the schedules are included in this newsletter. Please continue to sign up for your services so we will be prepared when they resume.

Don't Forget!
This newsletter contains all ministry information, updates, schedules and resources. Program volunteers, please be sure to read it in its entirety. You may also locate all volunteer information and resources on our page on the diocesan website at anytime here.

May the peace, joy, and love of Christ live in your heart today and always!

Tricia Worrell
Director, Prison and Jail Ministry
tworrell@grdiocese.org
616-475-1255
Team Schedules                       
Communion Service Sheets
January











February









*the Communion service format used in our service sheets is liturgically accurate
for a lay volunteer leading a Communion service in places other than a church
Ionia & Carson City Teams
The only two Ionia facilities at this time allowing us to go in for weekly services are Bellamy and Ionia Correctional. You do not need to be vaccinated to volunteer in our prisons.

Ionia Correctional will allow any current MDOC Catholic volunteer to lead a level II Communion Service on Sunday evenings from 6:45 – 8 p.m. If you can help lead this new service, please let me know. You may need to complete a new LEIN form but no additional paperwork or orientation is required if you were active in another facility prior to the pandemic.

I will contact all volunteers who serve other prisons directly when your facility resumes services and review any new policy and procedures with you at that time. If you have any questions or concerns before then, please contact me.
Kent County Team
We were scheduled to resume services twice a month in December, however, they were cancelled due to the rise in COVID cases. We continue to wait hopefully for our return in January. When our services resume, it will be a prayer service twice a month. They will not allow us to bring in the Eucharist to distribute because of their social distancing restrictions. When you lead the prayer service, you will continue to use the Communion Service Sheets and pray this spiritual communion prayer during communion.

To be cleared for services, you must be vaccinated and complete this Volunteer Application and PREA Form. When you have completed this paperwork, please mail it to me rather than the facility. I will make a copy of the paperwork and place it in your file before I send it to the Chaplain. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Below is the Kent County Bible Request Form. Use this when an inmate lets
you know they have a release date and would like a Bible. Have them fill this
out and we will mail a Bible directly to their home address. 
Muskegon Team
Unfortunately, there are no volunteer-led religious services being offered in our Muskegon facilities at this time. As soon as we are cleared to resume services, I will contact you directly and review any new policies, procedures and service times. If you have any questions or concerns before then, please contact me.
Ottawa Team
Although volunteer services have not yet resumed in Ottawa county, Allison Hawkins and Mike Jacobs continue to meet via Zoom on Tuesdays from 6 - 8 p.m. with the children at Ottawa County Juvy. We are grateful for Allison and Mike for their commitment, dedication and creativity during this pandemic and always.

Below is the Ottawa County Bible Request Form. Use this when an inmate lets
you know they have a release date and would like a Bible. Have them fill this
out and we will mail a Bible directly to their home address. 
Need help with reflection time resources?
Check out the websites below.