Prison Ministry India Celebrates Silver Jubilee
Bengaluru: Prison Ministry India (PMI), a voluntary organization under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) working for the integral human development of prisoners celebrated its silver jubilee on November 19 in Bengaluru.
Over 420 volunteers of the PMI gathered at St Joseph’s College Auditorium to praise and thank ‘the God of the lost, least and the last’ in the presence of bishops, priests, nuns and scores of lay people.
The jubilee celebrations began with a concelebrated Holy Eucharist presided over by Dr Allwyn D’Silva, the PMI Chairman. Fr Varghese Karippery, the PMI co-founder in his homily highlighted that the unconditional and forgiving love is the golden key for the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners. The concelebrants included Dr Peter Remigius, the former PMI chairman, Dr Jose Pulickal, the auxiliary bishop of Kanjirappally, Dr Francis Kodiyan, the PMI national coordinator and PMI cofounder, Fr Varghese Karippery, Msgr Jayanathan and Msgr C Francis, the Vicars general of Bangalore Archdiocese besides about 60 priests from all over the country.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore in his address, prior to the benediction, highlighted the significance of documentation and research studies of prison visits and rehabilitation centers. Students from homes meant for prisoners’ children such as Premodaya and Kolbe Home presented a variety of cultural items which included dances and mimes.
Earlier, the Jubilee celebrations began with the Eucharistic Adoration in the morning in which all the volunteers and participants offered to God all praises and glory for all the blessings that were bestowed upon them in the past 25 years.
Dr Francis Kodiyan, the national coordinator, PMI, in his welcome address stated that PMI has 7000 volunteers, 5000 rehabilitated and reformed released prisoners, 850 units, 10 rehabilitation centers and 10 homes for prisoners’ children. He said that the organization began in Kerala in 1986 and extended its ministry to all Indian states in 1994. With the silver jubilee, it will extend its ministry to Asian countries, Dr Kodiyan added.
Dr Allwyn D’Silva, the PMI Chairman and the president of the Jubilee committee emphasized the significance of visiting prisons and conveying the forgiving love of God to prisoners. He appreciated in the name of all Indian bishops what PMI does for the release, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. Dr Peter Remigius, Dr Jose Pulickal, Fr Varghese Karippery offered felicitations on the occasion.
Dr Allwyn D’Silva released the documentary film on Prison Ministry India produced and directed by Lavy Pinto during the PMI Silver Jubilee Public Meeting.
Two books written by Dr Francis Kodiyan, The Lost – An Eightfold Path for Prisoners’ Transformation; Rainbow – The Theological Foundations of Prison Ministry India; Reformative Explorations – A Psycho-Spiritual and Crimino-Social Quarterly on Reformation and Rehabilitation, and the Silver Jubilee Souvenir were released on the occasion.
The founder fathers, pioneers, national coordinators, all those who completed 25 years of service in this ministry, all the national office staff in the past 25 years were remembered and honored at the function with mementoes and certificates. All those who completed 14 years in the ministry were also honored and presented with certificates.
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC, the PMI National Secretary, proposed a vote of thanks and the jubilee celebrations came to a close with the PMI Anthem sung by Sr Marina.