Purpose:  To offer inmates a way to build their Catholic faith through a mentor based program:

Sample Letters:

Thank you for your interest in writing to an inmate:
A Thank you letter to a spiritual mentor volunteer:
Letter of Invitation to an Inmate:
A Letter to Prison Chaplains

ST. DISMAS GUILD-SPIRITUAL MENTOR PROGRAM

Thank you for your interest in writing to an inmate. Our purpose and goal is to evangelize and bring others to an understanding of the incredible love God, our Father, has for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "Indeed, the Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." The greatest tool we have in evangelizing is God’s Word and it should always be read with John 14:26 in mind, "The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I have told you.". This is what Jesus told His disciples.

1 Timothy 3:15 says, ".....you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth." The New Catechism of the Catholic Church helps us to stay on the right track. We have the Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study that we send to the inmates and this is a good means to use. If you don’t have a copy let us know and we will send it to you.

   1. Send your name and address to St. Dismas Guild and you will be assigned as a spiritual mentor to an inmate at a designated prison.

   2. All correspondence to and from inmates shall be cleared through St. Dismas Guild using our PO Box 2129, Escondido, CA 92033 address. Please send us a self-addressed stamped envelope.

   3. Letters are to be about Catholic Evangelism, which would include The bible, The Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study, God’s Divine Order for the Family, The Catholic Catechism, Encyclicals, Books on Saints, etc.

   4. Do not write or deliver anything to anyone else, you are there to help bring about a spiritual conversion by sharing the faith to the person you are assigned. We ask that you do not send any other pamphlets, books, etc. to an inmate as the prison will not accept them from individuals.

   5. Keep your letters joyful and let them always be a message of hope. Do not tell about any of your problems. Remember you are the messenger. Always let them know you are praying for them daily and always end the letter with a blessing.

Thank you for your "Yes, Lord". As we unite together and pray for one another we can make a difference and change the face of the earth. We, then, prisoners for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:1-6).

In Jesus’ love,

Deacon Ken & Marie Finn

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Dear Volunteer,

Thank you so much for being part of our Spiritual Mentor Program. Enclosed please find a letter we received from an inmate and the one we have prayed about that you will be writing to.

We request that you answer the letter praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and then send it to us. We will forward the letter with our return address. When we receive a letter addressed to you we will forward it to you. If you are able would you please enclose two stamped envelopes, one addressed to you and the other left blank that we can address and send to the inmate.

We request that you ask the inmate if he or she has received a Bible and The Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study. We will be happy to send it to them if they have not already received it. Also, if you do not have the bible study please let us know right away and we will send it to you. Most of the inmates have been doing the study and love it. You can do a lot of evangelizing by using it and this will be the core of your correspondence.

Jesus tells us in John 15:5, "Whoever dwells in me and I in him bears much fruit, for separated from me you can do nothing." Thank you again and may God fill you with every spiritual blessing under the sun.

Your brother and sister in Christ,

Deacon Ken & Marie

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Dear Inmate,

Due to the heavy volume of mail and after much prayer and reflection we have decided to start a Spiritual Mentor Program. This will consist of a one on one correspondence between inmate and spiritual mentor. This program is in response to the many letters we have received requesting spiritual guidance.

A spiritual mentor will be one who will discuss any questions regarding your Catholic faith and The Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study. The mentor will discuss spiritual matters that come from the bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and teachings of the Catholic Church.

The role of the spiritual mentor is to help guide you in your spiritual growth. The spiritual mentor will not be a social worker but one who has been called by Christ to help you in your walk with Jesus. Jesus tells us, "Come after me and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

You will be hearing more about this program in our next newsletter.

We ask you to pray about this and if you are interested in this program please let us know.

Your brother and sister in Christ,

Deacon Ken & Marie Finn

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Dear Chaplain,

We are a non-profit Catholic organization that distributes Catholic bible studies, bibles, catechisms, pamphlets, etc. to prisons and the poor all over the world.

Pope John Paul II has challenged us this Jubilee year to bring the Good News to all we come in contact with and to reach out even beyond our own homes and communities, to all the Nations as Matthew 28:19 tells us, "go therefore and make disciples of all the Nations. The scripture that best describes the ministry of St. Dismas Guild is Matthew 10:6-8, "Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

With that in mind we would like to put in every prison library of the United States in both English and Spanish the Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a Catholic Bible if they don’t already have one.

If there are any individuals in the prison that would like their own personal study just have them write to us and we will be happy to send it to them. All of our materials are free. We also have a monthly newsletter for those who care to be on our mailing list. Our goal is Catholic Evangelism through scripture.

The Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study has an imprimatur by Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego and Pan De Vida by Bishop Aemilius Carolus Berlie Belaunzaran of Mexico. This study was also endorsed by Mother Teresa.

We hope to hear from you soon and thank you for helping us make this a reality of getting these materials in the prisons across the United States. We will send these materials to you as soon as we hear from you.

Your brother and sister in Christ,

Deacon Ken & Marie Finn

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