HOW
IT WORKS We are a Catholic ministry. However, prisoners of all faith
traditions are welcome, even those who are unchurched. We
recognize that many prisoners are lonely and our pen pal
program strives to provide Christian friendship based on
Gospel values. Prisoners hear about us through word of mouth inside the
prisons and they write to us asking for a pen pal. In response,
we send you our pen pal guidelines and an application form.
We ask that you fill out the application and return it to
us. The information on the application is kept confidential
in our office. The next step is to give you a pen pal friend. You will
receive a letter from us with the name of your new pen pal.
Your new friend will start the process by writing the first
letter to you. We ask our pen pals to write at least once
a month. We are here to support you along the way as you communicate
with your pen pal. Please let us know if you need advice
on how to respond to a letter or have questions about the
program. You are welcome to contact us at: Jail
Ministry/Pen Pal Program,
P.O. Box 114, Nazareth, MI
49074
MAILING ADDRESS Neither the pen pal nor the prisoner are allowed to exchange
letters through a home address. Instead, our pen pals have
their letters sent through the Diocese where they are opened
and read. Letters with unacceptable content will not be forwarded
and the writer will be removed from the program. While this may seem like an invasion of privacy, we have
prisoners from all crime backgrounds writing in our program.
It is necessary to provide a margin of safety for our volunteers.
In addition , it allows the manager of the pen pal program
to make sure that your pen pal friend is following through
on their commitment to you. UPON YOUR RELEASE The pen pal letter writing relationship will come to an
end upon your release from prison. This can be a difficult
closure when you have to leave your pen pal friend. However,
our pen pals only sign up to provide support while you are
in prison. They are not prepared to handle the challenges
that you may face once you are on the outside. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ROMANCE
OUR PEN PAL MINISTRY IS NOT ABOUT
ROMANCE. Please be respectful of your pen pal friend
who reaches out to you in Christian friendship during your
time in prison. You will be removed from the program if
you encourage anything beyond friendship. MONEY
DO NOT ask your pen pal for money,
favors or material items. The pen pal ministry is not a
means to obtain these items. If you persist, you will be
removed from the program. VISITS AND PHONE CALLS
We DO NOT allow visits or phone calls. Please do not
mail your pen pal a visitor application or ask to put them on your phone list.
The pen pal program is meant for support through letters ONLY. LEGAL MATTERS
DO NOT ask your pen pal to become
involved in the legal matters of your case. This includes
writing letters to the parole board or attorneys, or donations
of money to help in your legal cause. PHOTOGRAPHS
DO NOT request a photo. No exchange
of photographs is allowed.
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Count
your blessings daily, giving thanks to God.