At HMP Featherstone earlier this year, a retreat invited prisoners to reflect on broken pottery as an image of lives marked by difficulty but capable of restoration. One participant wrote afterwards: “On the first day, you showed us the broken pots and helped us realise that even though we are all ‘cracked pots’, with the love of God and a little faith, we can all be repaired.”

This Prisoners’ Sunday, the Jesuit Institute is inviting supporters to help bring that hope to more people in prison through its Prison Project, which offers retreats and spiritual accompaniment rooted in Ignatian spirituality.

Prisoners’ Sunday is an annual opportunity for the Catholic community to remember and pray for people in prison, their families, victims of crime and those working within the criminal justice system. Supporting the Prison Project is one practical way to put that prayer into action.

Over the past year, the Project has delivered retreats and one-to-one accompaniment at HMP Featherstone, HMP Manchester and HMP High Down, offering prisoners opportunities for prayer, reflection and personal transformation. The work is offered free of charge to prison chaplaincies, which often have very limited resources, and it depends on the generosity of supporters.

Fr Paul Nicholson SJ, Director of the Jesuit Institute, has encouraged supporters to help ensure that people in prison are not forgotten and that more prisoners can discover “the mercy, dignity and hope offered to each of us by God”.

The difference this work makes is clear from those who have seen it first-hand. Following a retreat at HMP High Down, the Catholic chaplain reported that participants had experienced a profound spiritual encounter, while the prison’s weekly Lectio Divina sessions subsequently adopted a more contemplative approach. One chaplain described a “genuine reawakening of faith” among those taking part.

At Featherstone, the participant went on to describe how the retreat had encouraged participants to make better choices, recognise that life is a pilgrimage and see themselves as worthy of standing before God. He concluded simply: “Thank you for bringing us closer to God.”

How donations are used

Every programme is developed in collaboration with prison chaplains and adapted to the needs, routines and security requirements of the individual prison.

The Institute offers Weeks of Guided Prayer, combining personal prayer with one-to-one spiritual accompaniment, alongside flexible Encounter Weeks using imaginative prayer, art, storytelling, reflection and group discussion.

Donations help the Institute prepare and deliver retreats and workshops, equip its teams, provide spiritual resources for prisoners and respond to requests from chaplaincies.

At the heart of the work is the Ignatian conviction that every person is loved by God, possesses inherent dignity and is capable of growth and transformation, whatever their past circumstances.

The Prison Project brings the Ignatian tradition of prayer, accompaniment and discernment to people whose lives are often marked by isolation and uncertainty. It seeks to create spaces in which prisoners can be listened to, reflect honestly on their experiences and begin to recognise the possibility of positive change.

Watch the film

A short film produced by the Jesuit Institute offers a closer look at the Prison Project, explaining how Ignatian spirituality is helping prisoners reflect on their lives, develop a deeper relationship with God and make positive choices for the future.

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Give today

Those wishing to support this work can make a donation through the Jesuit Institute’s website, selecting THE PRISON PROJECT APPEAL as the designation for their gift.

Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash