Prison Ministry

Wherever there is someone hungry, a foreigner, a sick person, a prisoner, there is Christ himself, who is waiting for our visit and our help. - Pope Benedict XVI, December 18, 2011

The Catholic Chaplaincy Office at the State Institutions provides services for inmates of the Adult Correctional Institutions, Rhode Island Training School, Wyatt Detention Center and patients of Eleanor Slater Hospital. Priests offer weekly Mass and communion services, hear confessions, administer the sacraments for inmates and patients of these facilities, and assist in maintaining the presence of the Catholic Church in these state institutions for residents, families, and staff. The program is supported by a team of dedicated deacons, lay chaplains and volunteers

Pastoral Care

The Church ministers to the whole person, understanding that we are all God’s children – valued, special, and worthwhile – and therefore should treat ourselves and each other with respect and dignity.

The Catholic Chaplaincy Office provides spiritual support to all inmates through religious services, bible study, prayer groups, and one-on-one pastoral counseling. Additionally, when there is a loss to the loved one of an inmate, we ensure that the notification is delivered in a timely and pastoral manner. We also provide grief counseling to inmates that are having a difficult time with their loss. Sometimes it is simply a ministry of presence.
 

Note:
Due to the pandemic, access to the prison is on hiatus until further notice.
 

Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI)

• High Security & Spanish Services
• Intake Service Center
• Maximum Security
• Medium 1 (Moran) Security
• Medium 2 (Price) Security
• Minimum Security
• Women’s Prison/ Wyatt Federal Detention Center

Wyatt Federal Detention Center

This ministry includes chaplaincy services at the Department of Corrections and Eleanor Slater Hospital in Cranston, and the Zambarano Hospital in Burrillville.