Prisoners' Sunday (12 October) marks the start of Prisons Week, an annual ecumenical event that focuses on raising awareness and encouraging prayer for prisoners, their families, victims of crime, and others affected by the criminal justice system. 

Ahead of Prisoner Sunday, we talk to Fr Jude Nwachukwu CSSp and Ken McCabe, Catholic chaplains at HMP Liverpool who play a vital role in offering spiritual care and pastoral support to inmates; to find out more about their role and what we can do to mark this week.

Fr Jude said: “In my role as prison chaplain, I provide sacramental ministry, offering Mass, confession, adoration, rosary and other sacraments to both Catholic prisoners and staff working in the prison community. I provide pastoral care, offering emotional and spiritual support, to staff and prisoners including those who are ill, isolated or in segregation.

“I offer one-on-one counselling, bereavement counselling to those who have lost a loved one and also lead group sessions delivering teachings on topics such as spirituality, morality, Catholic doctrine and personal growth.

“Our work as chaplains is to reach out and change lives. We are here to try and make a difference, because faith has made a difference to us. We believe there is a fresh start for everyone and that everyone’s life can be turned around and we want to help to make that happen”.

The work of a chaplain isn’t just confined to the prison. The chaplain can also contact the faith community of prison leavers if they are returning to their home parish and members of the chaplaincy team are currently collaborating with chaplains at HMP Altcourse and other organisations to form a Community Chaplaincy in the Merseyside area that will support prisoner leavers upon their release into the community.

Chaplain Ken McCabe added: “On Prisoners’ Sunday we ask people to pray for prisoners and their families. Here at the chaplaincy, we get to see the men in a very different light, away from the headlines, we get to see the real people. We often call the chapel here the chapel of tears as the men come here and their masks fall, the pretence stops, and we get to see the real person.

“We listen to the stories of heartbreak, abuse, addiction, neglect and mental ill health that has impacted the prisoners, so prayer is important for them all.

“Prisons Week is also a time for prayer for prisoners ’families. They are often some of the most marginalised people in society and they are also doing the sentence with the prisoner and often it’s children who carry the heavy weight of this.

“Prisoner Sunday is also a call to action; I would invite our parishes, families of parishes and deaneries to consider ways they could offer support to prison leavers and their families in the community.”

More resources and prayers can be found here:

Pact Charity

Bishops’ Conference resources

Prisons Week

Webinar: Keeping women out of prison

The Welcome Directory

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